I Love You Slifer Slacker
by thedancingcrown
Summary: Cori Swain (and other OCs) goes to Duel Academy along with Jaden Yuki and his friends. Mainly ChazzxOC. (T for some mild language...*shrug*)
1. Fireflies

Fireflies

* * *

Tiny wings whisked through the air, making barely a sound, raising and lowering the fireflies through the air in circles. They were visible only by the sight of their bright yellow butts. Chazz cringed – only in nature would something like that be considered beautiful. But it was, and she thought so, too – that was evident by the small smile playing on her lips, the glint in her eyes as she looked up at the insects painting patterns in the near-darkness as though they'd rehearsed it. Their light reflected in her eyes, shone deep against the pink in her cheeks, making her look even prettier.

Chazz scowled, and whipped his head away before she saw him looking at her – he had to stop thinking about her that way – only to catch sight of another yellow butt he had no desire to see. _Ever_.

"Look, Boss!" Ojama Yellow cried, catching a pair of fireflies and holding them in front of his behind, "I'm a firefly, too!"

Chazz recoiled, stepping back, and stumbled over a rock he could've sworn hadn't been there two seconds ago, "Ah!"

"Chazz?" Cori only seemed to notice him after his near-death fall, turning half around to raise an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he snapped, trying to ignore the stab in his butt-bone – or whatever the biological term for the thing was. Mentally he rolled his eyes.

She laughed, and settled a stray strand of blue hair behind her ear, "You fell."

"I noticed," he scowled.

"Can I…offer you a hand?" she asked, amused, and held out her hand as per offered. But Chazz only scowled deeper as her smile turned wider.

"And what am I supposed to do with 'a hand', Slacker?" he asked sarcastically, and she gave a nonchalant shrug.

"You hold it, I pull, you get up," she said, weighing her hands up and down as she spoke. "We've been through this before – you seem to lose your footing a lot. Or it's just me," another shrug.

Chazz waved her offer away, and helped himself up, muttering, "If only…"

"Meh," Cori seemed unperturbed, and turned back to the lights – only, they'd fluttered off into the trees. "You scared them away with your girlish cries of falling."

Chazz scowled at her, rubbing dust and dirt off his black jacket. "I resent that – my cries aren't girly."

"Of course not," she teased, crossing her arms behind her back, which was turned to him now. "That's why I said 'girlish' – completely different thing."

He rolled his eyes at her back, and allowed the smile he'd been holding in. And then he caught sight of a mass of purple – tiny six-leaved flowers of a kind he'd never seen before, practically drowning a defenseless little shrub of little consequence, with their leaves and vines twined around the other plant. There were more of the purple things either choking the trees around them, or serving some decorative purpose meant to please the view of whatever pair of unfortunate lost souls happened to pass by.

Chazz spared Cori a glance over his shoulder. She was still speaking, "You realize how very nowhere this is getting us, right? For all the million and one times we've been in this forest I'm surprised none of us has ever thought of drawing a map! Or memorizing a path for that matter…"

Chazz reached up with one hand, looking over the flowers, and picked one off its vine that didn't seem half-chewed or insect-infected.

"Maybe we should have a duel – you know Jaden's nose? It'll lead him right to us, if—" she stopped mid-sentence, having turned about to see him with the flower. "I knew it – you really are a girl."

"What?! No!" he could feel his face flush, but ignored it, and stuck out his arm instead, flower in hand. Cori's arms uncrossed from behind her back, her face suddenly illuminated by the return of the fireflies around Chazz's head. He swallowed, not sure of what to say – or what he was doing for that matter – and Cori's eyes slid from his to the flower, her cheeks going bright pink.


	2. Revelation

Revelation

* * *

Fingers still shaking with the aftermath of a near nervous breakdown, Syrus Truesdale pulled his deck from his duel disk and added his hand to the pack. Across the dueling field the Proctor he had just defeated – miraculously, to say the least – was saying something by way of congratulations, but Syrus couldn't be bothered to listen even if he had tried – there was a ring in his ears that seemed to drown out all other noise. Nodding like he understood, the short kid turned on his heel and awkwardly made his way from the platform, down a few steps and into the care of one of the Academy officials managing the exams. Only after she'd guided him through forms and lists that needed to be checked, and added another congratulations to the one she'd started off with, did Syrus allow himself a sigh of relief – he was in. He was in and he was going to DuelAcademy.

Grinning a little, his fingers feeling much better and his knees less like jelly, Syrus took the steps in the audience up to the very top, planning on finding a seat somewhere, when he was unexpectedly and quite by accident nearly knocked off his feet by a whirlwind of light pink. Somehow he was firmly on his feet before he could do more than stumble back, though, without any recollection of having caught his balance – someone must have caught it for him.

"Heh, sorriness!" said a voice – a girl's voice – as though it were singing in his ears. Syrus blinked, feeling the grip of her hands loosen on his arms and disappear, before she took the liberty of straightening the round spectacles that had shifted on his nose, blurring his vision.

When she came into view, Syrus found himself faced with the prettiest chin he'd probably ever seen – pasty white and shapely, it took him a moment to think of looking higher for the rest of her face; framed by her pink curls and neatly trimmed bangs, hiding her eyebrows above attractive, pale blue eyes. She grinned, "My bad! You alive short-stuff?"

"Err…" he certainly felt alive, what with that thing in his chest pumping blood so fast he feared it might burst, and the fingers he'd finally gotten still starting to tremble, his knees buckling ever so slightly…this was as bad as dueling, and he'd not even said a word yet!

She bent down to meet his eye, and though he couldn't see it, he bet she was raising an eyebrow at him, "Heeeello…?"

"I'm…mmm…kay…" it sounded much better in his head.

Her grin returned and she straightened up, shrugging, "Hot! I'm Violet by the way," she stuck out her hand for him to shake, but Syrus couldn't do more than stare at it even if he'd wanted to—"_Vi!_"

She turned away, to face the brown-haired boy who had just arrived. As tall as she, he had her eyes and slim build, and a scarily similar grin.

"Don't run off like that!" he scolded, and then looked over at Syrus, who blushed. "Who's thi—?"

She didn't give him time to finish, but grabbed hold of his hand, Syrus nearly forgotten, and sprinted with him down the rest of the steps, "Bye-ah, shortness!"

Syrus stared after her as she ran, before he sighed, pushed back his glasses, "Violet…"

Echoing Syrus with some manner of distress, the brown-haired boy stumbled along down the steps in Violet's wake, until she finally reached the bottom of the stairs and pulled him off to the side, stopping abruptly behind the railing, facing one of the dueling platforms.

"There he is, Wenn," she grinned at him, and Wenn was reminded how alike that smile of theirs was – it was almost like looking in a mirror every time she turned to face him. He was still only just getting used to that. "Your _idol_," she sung the word, and turned away, perfectly impressed with herself.

Wenn smiled as well, and turned from her, finding his hero not altogether twenty paces away, dueling as epically and precisely as he always had. He'd been perfectly content watching the match from afar, but he was even happier now that Violet had tricked him into coming closer.

Up on the platform, Bastion Misawa flipped up a Trap he'd laid turns ago as though he'd planned for this very moment, and Ring of Destruction settled around the neck of the Proctor's Vorse Raider opposite.

"Heh, genius," Wenn commented, smiling wide, as he watched the Vorse Raider shatter, its Attack Points deducted from both duelists' Life Points, and leaving the Proctor with none and Bastion several more to spare – winning him the duel.

"Very good, Applicant," Wenn heard the Proctor say, and Bastion gave an appropriate bow.

"Thank you."

Straightening, Bastion allowed himself a smile and nodded again at the Proctor as he was dismissed, before he headed off the platform by way of the steps between his exam field and the one next to his – still occupied, he noticed, with a glance at the blue-haired duelists who was just now drawing a card.

Frowning slightly, worried, in truth, that she might not make it, Bastion made his way toward the Academy Official that was to assist him with filling in the necessary forms and whatnot, now that he'd passed his duel, and tried not to think on the girl too much…

But when Bastion reached the top of the stairs some time later, scooting down a row and past a couple seats towards the one he'd claimed before his duel, he saw he need not have worried at all – she was just making her way from several other officials handling the winners toward the very stairs he'd just finished climbing, as well.

Smiling, Bastion took his seat, but he'd barely sat down or a light punch against the back of his shoulder disrupted his peace.

"Tight duel, Bastion!" some kid said behind him, and Bastion rolled his eyes, tempted to say "Not at all" – he'd had nearly every move calculated from the start. It was simple math, really, and no matter who your opponent was or whether or not you knew their deck, discovering what formula to follow in winning was all too easy – assuming you knew how, of course.

However, for civilities sake, and in the hope it would relieve him of further chatter, Bastion replied, "Thank you."

"I mean, at the end there, I thought you were done for, for sure – but then when you flipped up that Trap!" apparently he wasn't relieved of anything just yet. "That was a really good move."

"I know," Bastion said dismissively.

Unperturbed by his tone, the kid went right on talking, and for a moment Bastion stopped listening to think on whether he'd been paying attention to who stood just beyond the railing behind the seat he'd aimed at a moment ago, but then concluded he obviously hadn't, and would _have_ to turn around if he wanted to see who it was talking to him.

When he did turn, though, it wasn't so much to _see_ the kid, as it was in reaction to what he had said, "From the looks of things, you might be the second best duelist here."

Lengthy dark brown hair, tinged lighter around the crown on his head, a broad grin nearly splitting his face in two; the boy looked down at Bastion like he'd meant every word he'd said. Bastion frowned up at him, taking faint notice of the short kid at his side; long, light blue hair in all manner of disarray, and a pair of round spectacles perched on his nose. Bastion might have said something were it not for the announcement, ringing clear as a bell throughout the examination arena, quieting students, applicants, and spectators in the stands and seats: _"Jaden Yuki, please report to Exam Field Two."_

"That's my name!" the brown-haired boy exclaimed, his grin turning wider if that were even possible. Clapping the kid beside him on the back, he said, "See, I knew they'd still have time for me!"

Bastion's – or _hers_ as she'd taken her time finishing – was to have been the last, he recalled. Jaden, the announcer had called him, must have been late. "I'll see you after, Syrus," he said then, sprinting into a run down the steps.

Bastion spoke before he'd even thought of doing it, "Wait a second!" Jaden stopped two steps down the way, and turned, jogging in one place. "If I'm second," Bastion said. "Who's first?"

Jaden thumbed himself, forever grinning, "I am, of course!" before he turned right around, running again.

"Hmp," Bastion snorted, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms. Jaden had no decorum whatsoever – there was no way he could be any better than Bastion was. Watching the platform below, Bastion noticed the tall man taking one side of Exam Field Two – dressed in royal blue he was no Proctor, and the ponytail tied at the back of his head, his light blonde hair hanging down to near his knees, marked him clearly.

"I hope your friend is as good as he says he is," Bastion chided at Syrus.

"W-Why?" the kid stuttered after a moment.

Bastion smiled, "Look who he's dueling. Surely you know who that is?"

"Doctor Crowler!" Syrus exclaimed quietly, and muttered as an afterthought, "I hope he's as good as he says he is, too…" sounding like he didn't think Jaden was at all.

_With friends like these…_ Bastion thought, shrugging it off.

Jaden was just making his way to the platform, pulling his deck from the pocket of his pants, and nearly dropping a few before finally handing them over to be shuffled and put into his duel disk. But the scene had long since lost Bastion's interest when he caught sight of her from the corner of his eye, "You!" feigning surprise – after all, he'd glimpsed her duel and so knew she was there; moreover, he sat in the seat she'd vacated before her duel – he turned to her, where she'd paused on the step next to his row, clearly uncertain of where to go since he'd stolen her seat.

"Yes…me…" she said, smiling slightly, tucking a strand of deep blue hair behind her ear.

"Sit," he gestured the seat beside him, "Unless you've somewhere to be? We are supposed to stay till the end…"

"Yes. I mean, no – I'm not going anywhere, I was just…" she waved her hands through the air, gesturing clumsily at nothing in particular, and then paused. "Okay," before she smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks, and proceeded down the row to join him.

"This is Syrus," he introduced, indicating the kid behind them, and she half turned in her seat to smile at the boy, too.

"Cori," she said, and he wondered again what it might be short for.

"And that down there," Bastion continued. "About to make a complete fool of himself is Jaden Yuki."

"Oh…yeah, we met on the steps," she said, and then added to Bastion's expression, "He nearly ran me over – and then introduced himself before running off again," she waved her hand through the air like it didn't matter. "He seems nice."

"Hmmm…" Bastion was in no mood to comment on that. "Well, I'm more interested in how he duels. This will by no means be easy – Dr. Crowler is the Head of Obelisk Blue, after all."

"And Obelisk is the best…" Syrus muttered behind them, almost inaudible.

"So it is," Bastion said, turning his attention to Jaden and Dr. Crowler below, as the pair of them each pulled five cards from their decks.

The arena had gone quiet; every student and loitering flunky nearly holding their breath, eyes fixed on Exam Field Two, and rightly so – it was not often, if ever, that the Head of any dorm – much less Obelisk! – took to testing an applicant.

But for all the tension in the crowd, Bastion could clearly see that Jaden paid it no mind if he noticed, and very likely he hadn't at all. Relaxed to the bone, by his casual stance, the quick glance at his cards, and Bastion was confident he could bet every deck he'd put together before in his life with no loss, that Jaden was probably grinning just as he had been before running down the stairs earlier.

With the arena so quiet, Dr. Crowler's voice was clearly audible even so far up the seats, "Why don't you start scholar?"

"Oh – okay," Jaden certainly sounded like he was grinning. "Get your game on, Teach, because here I come!" he drew his starting card, settled it at the end of his hand, and looked them over for a moment.

_Alright, Jaden…_ the brown-haired boy thought to himself. _Get your game on…_

Aloud, he announced, whipping a card from his hand to place sideways on his duel disk, "I'll summon The Elemental Hero Avian in Defense Mode!"

On the field between the two duelists, on Jaden's side, appeared a winged figure resembling a man, his skin covered in bright green feathers, with bird-like claws for hands and feet, and a fierce-looking expression even as he knelt in defense – 1000 Defense Points on his side to guard Jaden's Life Points with.

"And," Jaden added, "I'll throw down a facedown!" Another holographic image accompanied the Avian, this time the image of a facedown card to represent the one Jaden had slid into his duel disk, just behind the Elemental Hero. "What do you think Teach?" Jaden asked flippantly, grinning.

"Hmm-mmm, good, good," Dr. Crowler, in his royal blue jacket with its light pink trimmings, spoke as though he wasn't impressed by a hair. "But let us move on, shall we? I am a busy man after all."

_Whatever he was busy with can't be as exciting as this, though – I'm going to show him what my heroes are made of_, Jaden thought, and then spoke so Crowler could hear, "Sure, Teach – we're just waiting for you."

Doctor Crowler scowled, drawing a card and dismissing it to play another, "I activate Confiscation!"

A Spell card, its holographic image appeared face-up in the second row on Crowler's side of the field, and the Doctor explained, "By paying 1000 Life Points I can see your hand, young scholar, and pick any card I choose to discard to the Graveyard."

"Oh…" Jaden said simply, and a holographic image of his remaining four cards appeared in the air in front of Crowler.

"Ah, yes, this is the deck of a _drop-out boy_," Dr. Crowler said superciliously, making Jaden scowl, _I put my life into that deck_, "Monster Reborn to the Grave."

Repressing a regretful sigh – Monster Reborn might always come in handy later, only, now he wouldn't be able to use it – Jaden took the card from his hand, placing it in the Graveyard slot – effectively removed from the game unless he had some way of bringing it back – which he hadn't.

"Next I place two cards facedown," Crowler continued, barely waiting on Jaden. "And then I play Heavy Storm." As before, one Spell card accompanied the two others face-up, and as its effect came into play, a whirlwind whipped across the field, destroying not only Jaden's one card still face down, but Crowler's recently placed pair as well.

"Forget you had two cards facedown, Teach?" Jaden asked with a small chuckle – it wasn't a very bright move.

"Oh no, young scholar," Doctor Crowler said, sounding sarcastic. "That was the point of the exercise." His grin was perfectly wicked, and Jaden thought if ever there was going to be a time to worry, it was probably now.

Heavy Storm, despite having destroyed his facedown, and rattled Dr. Crowler's pair, was still raging away as though creating dramatic effect; wind whipping at Jaden's hair and jacket like the holographic images were real – often enough Jaden had wondered if they weren't.

And then the rattling cards were engulfed with smoke, and in their place appeared what looked to be two golden, decidedly vicious – insects? Jaden couldn't see clearly, but he didn't need to see to know this wasn't anything good. What's more, the figures had moved from the back row, to the front line where Monster Cards were placed, even though they had seemingly replaced a pair of Traps.

"Statue of the Wicked must be destroyed to be activated," Dr. Crowler explained amidst the commotion, which was in truth only lasting a moment. "Giving me two tokens, which I will now sacrifice—"

Jaden amended his previous thought – it was a bright move after all.

"—to summon: The Ancient Gear Golem!"

The arena was suddenly devoid of the excited chatter that had broken out once Crowler's Statue of the Wicked-cards had appeared – the audience was now staring at Dr. Crowler's side of the field in anticipation. Within the still-raging storm of smoke and wind, Jaden could only just make out Dr. Crowler's pair of token monsters shattering to pieces, and then – well, if Jaden hadn't known any better, he'd have sworn there was a mild earthquake, as, from within the settling dust about the field, there came to its feet a mechanical creature much resembling a man-like robot, nearly three times as tall as Dr. Crowler.

Jaden stared, in as much awe as the audience, before a wide grin split across his face.

From where she stood by the railing on one of the elevated floors above the arena, Alexis Rhodes was in perfect view of Dr. Crowler and Jaden's match, _and_ the boy's grinning expression. Not a moment ago the blonde haired girl had clicked her tongue, scathing at her companion, "Well, there it is – you happy now, Zane?" as Dr. Crowler's Ancient Gear Golem appeared on the field. Zane, who'd be starting his third year at the Academy when term began, was an Obelisk student just like Alexis – unlike Zane, though, Alexis would only now be starting at the Academy this year. Even so, she knew full well who Dr. Crowler was, and what he was most infamous for. She also knew about his deck, which, she and Zane had speculated over earlier, must be what he's been using – the summoning of his legendary rare monster just now, confirmed it though. And, in Alexis's opinion, it was typical, unfair Dr. Crowler-behavior. He was just picking on the rookie applicant to show off in front of a crowd for whatever reason.

Now though, Alexis had forgotten about Zane and his desire to see Dr. Crowler's legendary beast – her eyes were fixed on the brown-haired applicant with the grin on his face, hopping from one foot to the other as though he'd just drawn the eggwich. Alexis couldn't decide whether he was mental, or just plain stupid.

"Scared?" he was repeating; Dr. Crowler mockingly having said he didn't hope Jaden was too frightened by such opposition. "Are you kidding? I've always wanted to take on an Ancient Gear Golem!"

Stupid. _Definitely_ stupid.

Dr. Crowler had had the crowd on the edge of their seats in anticipation at the sight of his monster, but if they'd been in awe before, they were incredulous now. Crowler, of course, was merely annoyed. "Ready for your next lesson?" he asked, wickedly, and Alexis knew what would come next – after all, what else was there to do?

"Bring it on, Teach," Jaden was still grinning, unperturbed by or ignorant of what would happen – Alexis couldn't tell. Was he really this confident or was it all just talking to serve some unknown purpose? Keeping him calm? Tricking his opponent into going easy on him? Or psyching them out so he could pull a rabbit out of the hat? "I can't remember the last time learning was this much fun!"

Crowler didn't seem best pleased with that remark, and, visibly fighting a scowl, he exchanged it for a grin as he said, "Ancient Gear Golem! _Attack!_"

Alexis found herself gritting her teeth with anxiety, and stopped, glancing at Zane to see if he'd noticed anything, but the Obelisk was as stony-faced and silent as ever.

Below, Ancient Gear Golem pulled back one mechanized hand and thrust it forward at Jaden's defending Avian – shattering the winged creature and sending it to the Grave.

Realistically, thanks to Kaiba Corp.'s imaginative merchandise, Jaden gave a howling cry like he'd been the one hit, as his Life Points sunk by 2000, leaving him with half.

When Ancient Gear Golem attacks a monster in Defense, the difference in points still gets deducted from the player's Life Points. In addition to the aid of other cards producing some interesting effects around the Golem, that ability was probably one more reason why the card was so coveted and so rare.

Jaden's shoulders were shaking; his head a bow, arms limp at his sides. Surely the attack hadn't taken that much of a toll? Alexis stared. The arena had gone even quieter, if that were possible.

"Don't feel bad," Crowler spoke up, making a show of waving his hand around, "After all, this is the best dueling academy in the country. Some people simply aren't… cut… out, for… it…" he trailed off, the sound of his voice no longer the only one.

Jaden's shoulders hadn't been shaking from him holding in tears, or trembling with the aftermath of the attack. No, it was much more astounding than that – Jaden Yuki, was _laughing_.

_Mental_, Alexis amended. Definitely mental.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, spontaneously, head whipping up, his grin ever-present, and Alexis felt a smile tug at her lips. "I really want to come to the school now! You really know your stuff, Teach!"

Crowler was more appalled by the compliment than anything else. Alexis had to stop herself before she laughed outright as well and that beside Zane, who was regarding the younger boy with a raised eyebrow. Jaden had caught his attention – finally.

However, Zane might not have been exactly impressed.

"He's staring down that legendary monster like he doesn't have a care in the world – and that after losing half his Life Points…" he sounded more like he was agitated – scared of a little competition? But then he was amused again, "I guess the youth and inexperience do have their benefits, huh Alexis?"

She was aware of his eyes on her, but couldn't care less about what he thought he saw on her expression. She waved a hand at him, "Give it a rest, Zane – at least the kid's showing some backbone." Secretly, she was rooting for him to win. Zane said nothing, and Alexis paid attention to the duel. Jaden had summoned a Winged Kuriboh in Defense Position, which would do absolutely nothing for his Life Points, she figured, but he'd placed a card facedown as well, and with any luck that would get him out of the mess he was in.

"Now, let us continue," Crowler boasted, after drawing his starting card and barely giving it a glance. He meant to end this, "With the Ancient Gear Golem – attack!"

Alexis chewed at her bottom lip – but Jaden wasn't activating the facedown, and Winged Kuriboh gave a squeak before it turned to bits. Jaden's Life Points, however, didn't change. Dr. Crowler pointed out as much, and Jaden shrugged.

"On the turn Winged Kuriboh is destroyed, I take no damage for the remainder of the turn." He was grinning again, "Sweet, huh?"

Dr. Crowler was mumbling something, waving a hand for Jaden to continue, as Alexis said, "What do you know – a technique the good Doctor didn't know."

"No one can be expected to know every single technique, Alexis," Zane said, sounding very close to agitated indeed. Despite it though, she caught the subtle change in his tone, as though, even as he said it, he knew there was an exception. She didn't know _him_, but she knew who he was.

"I activate the Warrior Returning Alive!" Jaden was announcing a moment later, his facedown having been Hero Signal – a Trap card that called any Elemental Hero to the field. He'd chosen Burstinatrix, who was a fiery woman dressed all in red, gazing at the Ancient Gear Golem ever so never-mindedly. The Warrior Returning Alive brought back Jaden's Avian, and, satisfied, he said, "Now I have two Heroes out!"

"Yes, yes, very good, very good," Crowler said, loudly, repeating himself so as to grab the arena's attention. "But I fail to see your plan, young scholar – after all, those Heroes are only _Normal_ Monsters, what can they possibly accomplish against the Ancient Gear Golem?"

"Well, you see, Teach," Jaden said coolly. "I wasn't done." He was still grinning, and Alexis allowed herself a small smile too. One duel and he already had the good Doctor figured out – Crowler had set himself up for that one. "I _know_ my Heroes aren't very capable apart, but together – with the power of Polymerization—" sliding in the Spell card, he allowed for just enough pause to have it all seem dramatic. On the field, Avian and Burstinatrix were pulled into a void, merging together. "They become an even stronger Hero – The Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

Polymerization's void vanished in flames, from which a green and black-breasted creature with two legs, a dragon-headed arm and a single white wing appeared – topped off with 2100 Attack Points.

"What was Jaden thinking?" Syrus's was a quiet, distressed yelp behind Bastion and Cori. "He hasn't got enough points – he can't win!"

Bastion wasn't sure whether to frown some more or laugh a little at that remark – Syrus certainly seemed to have little faith in his friend. In any case, though, Bastion himself wasn't exactly rooting for the kid – he was too smug and too confident by half. It took great skill to be a proper duelist, and so far, in Bastion's opinion, Jaden Yuki hadn't displayed much of that. Even so, Bastion would admit The Flame Wingman was a decent card to have on your side.

"It's a shame, too," he said, in answer to Syrus's comment. "When the Wingman destroys a monster, that monster's Attack Points are deducted from the owner's Life Points…"

Bastion gave his companion a glance – she'd barely said a word since she'd sat down – and wondered if she had realized she'd scooted all the way to the very edge of her seat.

"Done _yet?_" Dr. Crowler had all but snapped below, and Bastion turned his attention back to the duel.

Though he couldn't see Jaden's face, he would've bet another deck by the sound of the boy's voice that he was positively beaming, "Not yet, Teach – I still have one more card to play. After all, every hero has their own arena," slid into its slot at the end of the duel disk, the card he played produced a horde of dark buildings lit by a billion yellow lights jumping up like daisies all over the field, all but hiding Dr. Crowler and Jaden from each other's view, "And this is mine – Skyscraper!"

As though having felt his eyes on the back of his neck, Bastion glanced back at Syrus, whose expression asked the unspoken question – _What does it do?_ – but, lips tight, Bastion merely shrugged. Beside him, though, Cori couldn't quite contain her grin. "You know what it does?" Bastion asked. She looked round at him, still smiling, but didn't answer – not that he gave her chance to, saying a might impatiently, "_Well?_"

She gave a little laugh, her cheeks pink, "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise…" and she turned away again. Bastion looked back at Syrus, whose face he guessed resembled his own. The boy shrugged.

"Hmp," Bastion just snorted, crossing his arms tighter and frowned down at the field. On the platform, Dr. Crowler sounded just as unimpressed by Jaden.

"Your little Skyscraper Field Card," the Doctor was saying, "Hasn't lowered my monster's Attack Points at all!"

"You're right, Teach," Jaden had already given the order to attack, and from a tall black building on his side of the field, the Wingman jumped down and started shifting past skyscrapers at a leisurely pace, as though wanting to give Jaden time enough to explain. "It hasn't lowered your monster's Attack Points – what it's done, is _raised_ mine."

"_What?!_" Dr. Crowler's voice came out a low, startled hiss, his eyes darting past one tall building and the next in search of the Fusion Monster as though by just looking at it he could see how high its Attack Points had become.

"See, when a Hero attacks a monster with more original Attack Points," Jaden added, "Skyscraper adds a thousand points to the Hero – giving my Flame Wingman 3100 Attack Points!"

He'd only just finished speaking when his Wingman rose above the skyscrapers, falling into a dive that headed straight for Crowler's Golem.

"Impossible!" Dr. Crowler exclaimed, just as the Wingman erupted in flames, crashing into the Ancient Gear Golem.

"And don't forget the Wingman's super power," Jaden added as an afterthought. "Deducting your Golem's Attack Points straight from your Life Points…"

An explosion echoed about the arena, smoke covering Crowler's side of the field, before clearing just enough for everyone to see his legendary rare monster crumbling to mechanical bits atop him. Skyscrapers fading, the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman had just settled back onto the field, unharmed, before it, too, faded victoriously.

Dr. Crowler's LP had dropped down to zero.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Jaden was saying, giving Crowler a small, two-fingered salute. Smoke clearing, his Golem's holographic pieces vanishing as well, Crowler came into view disheveled and flat on the field as though he'd truly just been trampled under a heap of metal – Kaiba Corp. merchandise at its finest. But never mind that – it was all Jaden.

Beside him, Cori jumped up applauding, while Syrus cheered louder than half the other applicants who'd taken to clapping. Bastion, however, felt perfectly content with simply a small smile, muttering, "Well, I could do with some competition."

It was true. Bastion hadn't thought Jaden would actually beat Dr. Crowler, but the kid had pulled through in the end with his ragtag skills and unperfected formula – to duel him would be a treat.

Below, Jaden was cheering as well, bowing to his audience, blowing kisses and grinning like a maniac, "I made it! I'm in the Academy!"

And then, quite suddenly, Cori stopped her clapping, stopped smiling, and stood quite still. Frowning, concerned, Bastion watched her. She sat, rather mechanically, he thought, so he leaned a little closer, contemplating touching her shoulder, and then decided against it, "Cori?" he said instead, and she looked round at him like he'd snapped her from a trance in which she'd forgotten he was there. "Are you alright?"

It wasn't until after he'd spoken Bastion realized the rest of the arena had gone as quiet as she had.

"Yes," she said, a little stiffly at first, but then added more firmly, "Fine. Just _fine_." And she turned away from him, leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

Bastion sat back as well, and turned his attention to the platform below, only to lean forward again – _Seto Kaiba_ stood two feet from Jaden, and Bastion could clearly hear through the silence of the crowd, how Kaiba Corp.'s CEO was telling Jaden he'd done a good job and welcome to the Academy. Jaden grinned, of course, scratched the back of his head, and then made his way down from the dueling platform towards one of the officials. Seto Kaiba looked around for a microphone, and it was only when he turned to speak to him that Bastion noticed the blue-haired boy in Kaiba's company.

Bastion recognized him immediately – tall, with his lengthy fringe split untidily to frame his face; he looked exactly as he had years ago when Bastion first saw him. And with that recognition came the realization – Cori's sudden strange behavior just when the pair showed up so unexpectedly, not to mention the obvious resemblance in that bright blue hair color…how hadn't Bastion seen it before? He glanced at Cori again, and then at the platform – could she really be?

_Logan Swain's sister?_

* * *

**Credit for the creation of Violet goes to one of my best friends, who made her especially for this story! :)**

**Thanks a lot for reading!**


	3. Challenge

Challenge

* * *

There was a knock on the door, making him scowl, as he set down the file – this one on Jaden Yuki, whose duel had been the only one he'd seen before making his perfunctory speech to the accepted applicants. He only insisted on going through each applicant's file because of the incident two years ago. In case the boy or someone remotely similar showed their face again – for one thing. But setting Jaden Yuki's file down as the last of his pile, he'd lost all hope for the other.

"Enter," Kaiba said, rubbing at his sore eyes.

"Sorry, sir," the man entered, an employee working at the Academy's entrance exams by the look of his uniform. He stepped forward, handing Kaiba another file, "This is the very last one, sir – and the only one we found with an irregularity in it…"

"What kind of irregularity?" Seto asked, annoyed at it being so late and then being bothered by 'irregularities' at the last minute when it should have been the first thing they handed him. Mostly he was just irritated because he wanted to go home, see his wife.

"In her deck, sir," the employee replied.

Kaiba flipped open the file, skipping right to her deck summary, not bothering to start with the first page. He went down the list, void of attention, and then decided to ask, "What irregularity did you find?"

"She has a Dark Magician Girl in her deck, sir," the man replied. "According to record, the only Dark Magician Girl in the world belongs to Mister Mutou. His deck is currently on display and the Dark Magician Girl is definitely in it, and very legit. But, so is hers."

"She played this card at the Entrance Exam?" Kaiba asked; having found the name he pressed his finger against it on the page.

"Yes," the man replied, and explained how the Proctor had summoned it from the Grave with Monster Reborn, continuing to say that she passed the exam, and only this card was the snag in her official acceptance.

"Her name?"

"In the front, sir…"

Nodding, Kaiba turned back, and stared. Blue-green eyes looked up at him from her picture, the face one he didn't recognize even as he saw the resemblance. "Cornelia Kyoko," Kaiba muttered to himself, his voice barely a whisper. "…Swain."

"Sir?" the man said uncertainly. "Is everything alright?"

"Leave, would you," Kaiba snapped. "Don't worry about the card, she's good." He closed the file abruptly and set it down on the pile. "_Dismissed_."

"Err…yes, sir," turning on his heel faster than he'd come in, the man disappeared behind Seto's office door just as Kaiba thought to ask what dorm she'd be in. He snatched up the file, glancing through her duel summary only because he was too tired and too shaken to read it properly, straight through to the footnote at the end: Slifer Red.

"_Slifer?!_" he snapped, all but throwing down her file. Dueling was in her blood and all she'd managed was Slifer?! Even her brother, Logan, whose father was a worthless, witless wonder, with no dueling experience whatsoever, would at least have reached the top of Ra-Yellow, and been promoted to Obelisk at the end of the first exam, without Kaiba pulling strings in the first place. But she only got to _Slifer Red?!_ All this waiting, all this hoping, all this time – and it only came down to _Slifer!_

Scowling, Kaiba came to his feet and took to pacing.

He could still pull strings with this – she _couldn't_ be a Slifer. No girl had ever been a Slifer in any case – apart from what's-her-name – absently he waved a hand at the thought. There were rumors he'd ordered the boy put in Obelisk even though Logan had never set foot in a Prep School before in his life, but of course no proof could be traced to Kaiba. He could do the same for her.

…

But then…if she had officially been ranked a Slifer, wouldn't it be worse then, to have her instead in Obelisk with such amateurish skills? If he let her be, she could always improve in her own time. It would be no embarrassment to him – there was no one to know of it. Not that _that_ was the reason – not embarrassment, no, just…she _was_, after all – therefore she must be better than a mere Slifer!

Dueling was in her blood more than her brother's… Perhaps, then, she would still surprise him somehow.

* * *

Blue-haired Syrus trudged along; shoulders slumped, not saying a word. Beside him, Jaden was talking like there was no tomorrow. From Syrus's other side, Cori watched the pair quietly, arms comfortably crossed, the slightest of frowns touching her lips.

The pair was clearly as different as night and day – Syrus was short, Jaden tall; Syrus was self-conscious, Jaden couldn't care less; Syrus was quiet, Jaden loud and boisterous and unperturbed by anyone who might find him annoying – and yet, it seemed some mysterious twist of fate had brought them together, if Cori was allowed to be so poetic. Syrus had said something similar upon discovering they shared a dorm room: "Do you think we were somehow connected in Ancient Times?" It was the first time all day Cori heard him something close to excited. "Like you were an Egyptian Pharaoh and I was your High Priest, Seto?"

Cori had to bite her tongue not to laugh, but Jaden hadn't bothered. "No offense, Syrus, but that's lame. Besides, they broke the molds when they made the two of us!" Grinning at Syrus, Jaden had caught sight of Cori just behind him, and added, "And you, too." She'd shrugged, smiled, for lack of anything better.

Jaden had picked up hanging round Syrus, and then having Cori around, too, like the three of them had been friends their whole lives and knew everything about each other. Even when Syrus said feebly in reply, "Yeah, for different reasons…" he didn't miss a beat, "We're going to have to work on that confidence, Sy," like they'd been meaning to for a while, but never got around to it and this was Jaden sternly reminding them.

"Why so quiet, Sy?" Jaden asked just then, right on top of whatever he was saying before, like it was all the same thing and he'd been having the whole conversation with Syrus, who'd been paying acute attention – of course, though, he hadn't, and whatever Jaden had been on about, Syrus probably hadn't heard half a word. "You're not still bummed about what Chumley said, are you?"

There was a triple bunk bed in their room, but neither boy had noticed, what with talk of reincarnation and breaking molds and whatnot – until Jaden opened a curtain and was subsequently reprimanded by the boy occupying the topmost bed. After some surprised screaming and jumping, the kid had opportunity enough to introduce himself as Chumley Huffington, and, grumpily, set about explaining the order of rank at DuelAcademy – based on color and dorm.

Cori, of course, knew something about this already.

Obelisk Blue students – like Logan, or, more relevantly, the dark haired boy she'd glimpsed on his pricey yacht upon arrival at the Academy this morning – were considered the cream of the crop. The only way to enter Obelisk from the get-go was through Prep School or _very_ well-connected people. Dr. Crowler whom Jaden had so embarrassingly schooled at his Entrance Examination – probably Jaden had been retelling his duel to Syrus before bringing up the current trend of conversation – was Head of the Obelisk Dorm. This fact alone surprised, and then altogether didn't really, Cori, because it was just like Dr. Crowler – from the snippets she'd heard from Logan – to sentence such an excellent duelist as Jaden to Slifer on account of having lost to him.

Ra-Yellow students like where Bastion had ended up, showed potential, some even as much or more than Obelisk students – like Logan had – but couldn't advance at once for lack of Prep School experience or connections.

And then there were they – "The Red Wonders," Chumley had said, sounding impressed, until he elaborated, sarcastically, "As in, I _wonder_ how we even made the school! Sorry guys, but we're bottom of the barrel here."

And Syrus had barely said a word since.

"You heard him, Jay," Syrus said, the pair having fallen into the comfort of nicknames with ease. One wouldn't guess at them only having met once before since coming to the Academy. "We're dueling duds… I mean, I knew Slifer was the lowest ranked, but – the way Chumley said it…" he gave a big sigh. Jaden glanced at Cori, as though in need of guidance, and she shrugged.

"Forget what Chumley said, Sy," Jaden said, grinning again. "It's not that bad – he probably just had a bad run-in with someone from the other dorms," Jaden waved a hand through the air dismissively. "I don't believe a word of it – we're _Slifer Red_, after all – and Slifer is one of the coolest Egyptian God cards there is!"

"Yeah, along with the other two…" Syrus mumbled.

"Besides, where do you suppose the term 'red hot' comes from?" Jaden didn't bother listening to that last. The three of them had stopped, having been wandering from the dorm for what felt like a good half hour at least, "From red, baby! We're the hottest duelists around! Anyone else is just jealous, yeah?" he gave Syrus a sturdy clap on his back. Cori had a hand in front of her mouth, trying not to laugh at Jaden's explanation, or at how he'd delivered the speech – arms raised, hands waving, his eyes alight with some sense of determination. Whatever had gotten hold of him though, it had passed on to Syrus within seconds.

"Yeah," he was repeating, slowly at first, but then vigorously, "Yeah! We're 'red hot' – hot redness, Slifer redness – err, hotness – yeah! Hot like a hotdog! Hot like a chili! A big bowl of chili's! No – a big bottle of chili-sauce!"

If Cori didn't know better, she'd have said Syrus was on fire.

"We're the hottest duelists around!" he finished at last, throwing his hands in the air.

"We're also one short," Cori said, snapping Syrus from his trance.

"Huh?" he looked about, his mass of hair swinging this way and that as his head turned, "Where'd Jaden go?"

"Ran off," Cori replied. "That way – I'll race you!" she said, on a whim, and sprinted off – if Syrus and Jaden could pick up like old buddies, she could at least try, too. Besides, with Jaden about, she figured there would be a lot more running to come, and she was desperately out of shape.

"Wait up!" Syrus, too.

Catching up with Jaden and Cori by an entrance to the Academy's main building, Syrus stopped, breathless, and rested his hands on his knees.

"You smell that?" Jaden was saying, excited, as he took a deep breath through the nose.

Cori seemed as perplexed as Syrus felt, "What?" she asked, taking a careful whiff of air. Syrus tried it, too, and smelled nothing.

"There's a duel going on!" Jaden replied, forever grinning, before he sprinted off again.

"Duel?" Syrus muttered, and shared a glance with Cori, who only shrugged before she followed in Jaden's wake, and Syrus had no choice but to pick up the pace.

"It's this way!" Jaden had been calling back around at least every other corner, before finally coming to a halt down one. "Here it is…"

At least he waited on them both to catch up. Syrus was excited and happy at having made a friend – two – but if this running kept up he wasn't going to be around much longer to enjoy their company.

The corridor led out into a dueling arena – with stands all along the walls, and a railing behind the highest seats, indicating a platform for more spectators to occupy, and another entrance such as the one they'd come through on the other side of the arena, past the large dueling platform in the center of the room.

Two students stood there, duel disks activated and cards drawn, in the midst of a duel – just as Jaden's nose had suspected. Syrus might have been impressed, if he wasn't so worried – blue stripes had lined the corridors they'd followed getting here, and all the walls Syrus could see had that same mark.

It wasn't a good sign. "Jaden," Syrus swallowed, plucking up courage from somewhere deep down as he slowly trailed behind his two new friends, bumping his knuckles against each other nervously, "I don't think we're supposed to be here…"

"What're you talking about, Sy?" Jaden said easily, as Syrus somehow knew he would. They were well and clearly into the arena now, just a few feet from the platform, right beside the stands. Syrus couldn't see another red jacket anywhere amongst the sitting students, and the pair dueling was one Obelisk, one Ra. "We're students here."

"_Wrong._" Syrus nearly jumped at the boy having so unexpectedly appeared. Despite being taller than all three, Syrus didn't think he was any older than them. He had hair bluer than Syrus's, to match the dark blue of his uniform, and spectacles similar to Syrus's, too; only, he didn't look nearly as dorky as Syrus did. Syrus swallowed again, taking almost half a step back to settle himself behind Jaden.

"This here is our turf," continued the Obelisk in a funny accent Syrus didn't recognize. He gestured to the wall above the door, and, looking around; Syrus and his friends saw the head of Obelisk the Tormentor. "You slackers don't belong here."

The boy's friend, who had kept a little behind, but stepped forward now – muscular, with brown hair and a tan – added, "That's right, so you'd better get going."

Syrus was ready to take Jaden by the collar of his jacket and just drag him right out, but then Jaden spoke, "Sure, we'll leave," and for a moment Syrus thought hauling wasn't going to be necessary. "As long as," then again, maybe it was, "One of you two," he pointed at each in turn, and Syrus could feel the knot tying in his stomach. _Don't let him say what I think he's going to say…_ "Agrees to duel me!"

"Ah, Jaden!" he muttered under his breath, only just stopping himself from wiping a hand across his face. Jaden, grinning at the two Obelisks who looked surprised at first, and then about to faint from amusement, hadn't heard him at least. But Cori gave him a sidelong look. Syrus avoided her eye, and then gave her a glance when he thought she wouldn't see – he couldn't tell whether Cori thought Jaden dueling was a good idea or a bad one.

In truth, though, Jaden would probably manage to put up a good fight, if he didn't beat the guy in the end – but it wasn't that, which made Syrus feel like running back to the Slifer dorm. He didn't feel comfortable being _here_ for other reasons…

"I wasn't kidding," Jaden was saying above their mocking laughter, scratching his cheek. "Really, I'm serious – let's duel."

And then the brown-haired boy seemed to see Jaden for the first time, abruptly ending his laughter, he patted his friend's arm with the back of his hand, saying, "Hey – he's that kid!" The other, bespectacled boy stopped laughing, too, adjusted his glasses, and squinted at Jaden.

"Hey, you're right!"

Jaden looked confused, glanced at Cori, and back at Syrus half a step behind him, before he opened his mouth to ask the pair what they meant, when another voice interrupted.

"What are you two doing?"

Syrus looked around as Jaden and Cori, and the pair of Obelisks did, as well, to the steps on their right where another Obelisk stood by the railing, looking down at his dorm mates. Syrus didn't recognize him, but with that scowl on his face and his nose in the air, Syrus was pretty sure he wasn't the type who would appreciate being messed with, or being faced with Slifers in general, much less on his own turf.

He proved Syrus's mental point, when he ignored his apparent friends even as the bespectacled one was attempting an answer, to direct his scowl at Syrus and the others, saying, "What are these Slifer scum doing here?"

He took the steps down slowly, turning to join the other Obelisks facing them. He was a little taller than Jaden – making him a lot taller than Syrus – but neither the boy's scowl nor height seemed to intimidate Jaden, who was still wearing his grin like a trophy.

"Hang on," said the new kid, who Syrus guessed to be their age as well. He was so pale Syrus might have thought he was either deathly sick, or a vampire, with black hair spiked in all directions, somehow appearing neat despite the fact. His dark grey eyes had settled on Jaden. "You're that applicant that beat Dr. Crowler, aren't you?" he asked.

"That's me!" Jaden replied proudly, thumbing himself. "Jaden Yuki."

The boy snorted, unimpressed.

"He says he wants to duel one of us, Chazz," said the boy with the brown hair.

"A Slifer _slacker_ duel one of _us_?" was the incredulous reply, and the black haired boy waved one hand dismissively. "_Please…_ You're nowhere near good enough."

"You won't know that unless you duel me," Jaden, ever so persistent, said easily. "Err… Chazz was it?" he added.

"This here's Chazz Princeton!" the boy with the glasses snapped in, emphasizing the name like it meant something. "Best duelist in DuelPrep School – you be sure and pay the proper resects!"

"Forget it guys," Chazz said, smiling arrogantly. He waved a hand at his friends. "Jaden and his cronies aren't worth the trouble. Take my advice and leave before one of us here has to hurt you, _slackers_."

"Take that back," Jaden said, riled now, and Syrus considered jumping in to say Chazz's advice was great and they'd be following it now. "I came here for a duel—"

"Only to watch one…" Syrus was almost sure he heard Cori mutter.

"So let's throw down, Chazz! Me and my 'cronies' against you and yours!" Jaden's grin was back, but Syrus thought if he frowned any more his face would stick like that. "Jaden!" he nearly lost his voice, hearing Cori's quiet echo saying Jaden's name.

Chazz laughed. "You, Jaden, won that duel against Crowler with nothing but luck! And the pipsqueak over there," he nodded at Syrus, who felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment and attention, "Could just barely manage drawing his first card! As for your other friend," Chazz looked at Cori, who seemed to shrink under his gaze as much as Syrus had as well, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. But whatever Chazz had been about to say, was abruptly cut off at the arrival of yet another Obelisk student.

"This is a lovely gathering," she said sarcastically, her voice a beautiful melody despite it, and, forgetting all about Chazz and his friends, Syrus peered round Jaden to get a better look.

Near as tall as Chazz, she had long blonde hair and beautiful golden-brown eyes, and even the frown she shot at Chazz couldn't steal from the appeal of her features. Wearing the short Obelisk skirt revealed her slim, slightly tanned legs, and she crossed her bare arms for all but a pair of blue gloves, over her chest.

Syrus swallowed a grin, but permitted thinking she was decidedly pretty. By Chazz's fervent blush, Syrus figured he wasn't the only one thinking that.

"Chazz," said the girl, making it sound like a scold. "Shouldn't you be headed to the Welcoming Dinner? You can hardly expect Dr. Crowler to brag about his favorite student when he isn't there."

Chazz scowled right back at her, if only slightly, with the blush never leaving his cheeks, before he said to his friends, "Let's go, guys."

Another acid glance at Jaden, and, Syrus could've sworn a look at Cori, too, before Chazz and his friends turned and wandered off. The arena was ominously quiet – the duel they'd walked in on having come to an end, and nearly all the on-lookers having departed by now as well.

"Sorry about Chazz," the girl said, smiling – it was a very lovely smile. "Not _all_ Obelisks are like that, though."

"Good to know," Jaden, whom she'd mainly addressed, replied just as politely.

"You guys should probably get going, too – for the Slifer dinner," she said. "And, a word of advice – Chazz and his _lackeys_ don't take to Slifers in the Obelisk arena any better than most of the others. You really shouldn't hang around here unless you're looking for trouble…Jaden, was it?"

"That's my name!" Jaden said, grinning, Syrus would bet. "And thanks for the advice," he added with a shrug, in a way that made Syrus think he had no attention of taking it. "Let's go, guys," he looked round at Cori, apparently catching her in thought by the small start she gave – lost on Jaden who had already turned to Syrus.

A glance each was all the warning Jaden handed out before darting off.

"Wait up!" Syrus called, and Cori fell into step beside him.

"Hey – I'm Alexis!" called the girl from behind. "By the way…"

"Nice to meet you!" was Jaden's reply, and he waved quickly, looking over his shoulder.

"You're not going to introduce me? Err – us?" Syrus corrected, glancing at Cori.

But Jaden laughed, "Little late now, Sy!"

* * *

Cori shifted in her seat, snapped from her reverie by Jaden beside her, who'd nudged her arm with his elbow, saying, "You have _got_ to taste this, Cori!" as he stuffed another spoonful of food into his mouth. Across from him, Syrus wore a look of nervous incredulity, glancing over his shoulder in distress. "Jaden!" he hissed. "We're not supposed to be eating yet!"

Jaden was paying no more attention to anyone than Cori had a moment ago.

They were gathered round the farthest table from the front, near the back door of the cafeteria, and above the heads of Slifer boys, Cori could just make out the face of their Slifer dorm headmaster from her corner. She'd elected to sit as low and far from the other boys as she could manage, seeing as how there were no other girls in the dorm at all, until she had a chance to speak to the Head of the dorm – they'd not found her room as they had Syrus and Jaden's, and Cori was concerned she might have ended up in the wrong place altogether. What were the chances they'd made her a room at Obelisk like her mother had feebly hoped?

"He wants us to say something about ourselves!" Syrus whispered loudly to Jaden, leaning across the table and poking at his friend's arm to get his attention. Engrossed by his apparently delicious meal, Jaden was unperturbed. "Seriously, Jay!"

"He's coming over here," Cori whispered too, elbowing Jaden, when she caught sight of the professor making his way past the rows of tables. He was a tall, thin man, with a long black fringe and even longer mass of hair tied at the nape of his neck, swinging this way and that as he walked. Wearing squared spectacles, Cori couldn't make out his eyes, but his thin lips were pressed in a tight line of consideration, his long fingers trailing elegantly across the back of his fat, light brown cat, which he held in his arms. Cori could have sworn he'd already spotted Jaden stuffing his face, even though she couldn't see where he was looking.

"Well," Jaden was sparing a word in-between chews, "I like food!"

"That's nice," said a voice, and Jaden stopped eating to look up at once.

Cori gave the professor a glance from the corner of her eye. Syrus swallowed, and shrunk in his seat. Jaden had the courtesy to blush.

"Well," said the man, suddenly smiling. He waved his hands through the air, addressing the room, "Let's just eat!"

"Now you're talking Teach!" Jaden grinned, remnants of rice-cake stuck between his teeth.

The professor gave a cheerful laugh, and wandered back to his own table at the front of the room to the sounds of clattering forks and knives against plates. But he'd barely taken his seat when something occurred to him, and in a rush he was on his feet again.

"Did he say his name?" Jaden muttered through mouthfuls, and Cori, picking at her rice with a slight frown, looked up at Syrus for the answer. Syrus paused with the fork to his mouth, and said, "Someone…Banner?"

"Miss Swain!"

Cori jumped at the sound of her name, as did Syrus, who dropped his fork, and Jaden stopped eating to look around. The professor stood beside their table again.

"Err…yes?" Cori said carefully, once she'd found her voice again.

Banner cleared his throat. "I nearly forgot about you," he gave a little, embarrassed laugh, "You're a girl."

Cori had to stifle a smile, "So I am, Professor…why—?"

"Oh, I can't really say," Banner waved a hand through the air. Syrus had picked up his fork, and Jaden had swallowed his mouthful of food, but both were looking sideways at Banner, not sure what the professor was getting at. Cori wasn't either. "The cosmos makes strange decisions – rest assured, however, you are not the first girl to be in Slifer," he smiled. "We have a room reserved for situations like this. For some reason though very little girls who didn't go to Prep School make it past their exams…or is it that very little girls who don't go to Prep School even take exams…? Hmmm…I suppose girls just don't like dueling very much…" he muttered, looking off to one side, and Cori shared a glance with the boys, amused.

A loud _clang_ from the kitchen's direction snapped Banner from his mutterings, and he looked up, seeming surprised to find himself where he was, and that without his cat, before he was right back to what he'd been saying before, "I'll show you to your room after dinner," he said, smiling and waving his hands dismissively before he spun round and headed back to his table.

"Huh…" Jaden said, eyeing their teacher as he went, before he said thoughtfully, "You know, Cori, I kind of forgot you were a girl, too…"

The cafeteria had cleared out at least a half-hour before, all the boys having scurried off to bed, before Jaden finished his final plate, declared himself stuffed, and decided a nap would do nicely. They had just gotten to their feet, however, when Professor Banner appeared by their side, again as though out of nowhere.

"Cornelia?" he smiled, and Cori heard Jaden mutter to Syrus, "So that's what it is…"

Banner, meanwhile, gestured for them to lead the way, out the cafeteria and up the stairs to the second story deck, where he took the lead, heading to the farthest room down the way. They past five other doors; two of them locking silence within, and the other three hiding the distinct sound of quiet chatter from coherent understanding. The sun had nearly set, leaving the world with only a pale grey light by which to see, so when Banner unlocked the door with an old-looking brass key, he flicked on the light by the switch against the wall, and stepped back for Cori to enter.

There were only two beds, as opposed to the three in Jaden and Syrus's room – and every other room in the dorm – situated just in front of the small window in the corner of the room; a table to the right, but no chair, and dresser beside that, in front of which, and on the bottom bed, her bags stood. Cori smiled, "It's nice… Thanks, Professor."

Banner smiled and excused himself, before adding, "If you find anything in here, just turn it over to me – sometimes old students leave their things behind…best to return it." He came back just as Jaden had sat down to test Cori's bed, and handed her the key, muttering "Boys," under his breath with a glance at Jaden. But the brown-haired boy was unperturbed, having spread out his arms and legs comfortably. "It kind of sinks…" he said cheerfully, "But it's nice. Better than ours – lumpy or hard, or…something," he waved a hand.

"It really is a nice room," Syrus muttered, looking around. "But you don't have a little fridge or a sink…"

"Man, no food?" Jaden asked, sitting up and sounding either disappointed or appalled.

"Jaden," Cori laughed, crossing her arms where she stood leaning against the desk. "You just ate!"

"What's your point?" he asked, grinning, and lay back again. Silence.

Suddenly there was very little left to say.

Apparently, though, Jaden had little patience for silence – he was sitting up in another second, "Syrus!" the other boy jumped, and looked over at his friend. "Didn't you say you make tea?"

"Err…yeah," Syrus replied. "Why?"

Jaden shrugged, "I'd like some tea." He grinned. "You'd like some, too, right?" He looked over at Cori, who shrugged and smiled, happy to have been invited. "Alright, then – making some tea!" he hopped off the bed, skipped out the room, and was patiently followed by Syrus and Cori.

* * *

Jaden had been having a lovely day, though it had been lacking one important component – after all, this was _Duel_ Academy – for the longest time. Now, however, he was knee-deep in the thralls of battle and couldn't be happier if he were winning.

"Had enough yet, slacker?" Chazz said from across the field, just past Jaden's Wingman – on the wrong side – grinning. His Trap had been unexpected, and taking control of Jaden's Wingman, using it against him like that, seemed a new kind of low – Jaden couldn't remember ever having been faced with fighting his own monsters before.

The brown-haired boy stood hands on his knees, catching a breath after that last attack – Chazz's Chthonian Soldier having lowered his Life Points down to half – and thought for a second how he'd gotten himself into this again…

"So, Cori," he'd said, seated on his, Syrus and Chumley's bedroom floor just beside the blue-haired girl, while Syrus busied himself by the counter next to the door, brewing tea. Jaden had been hoping he'd get to know Cori a little better with his suggestion of drinking tea, since she seemed the kind of person to be off on her own more often than not. Syrus on the other hand, he felt like he'd known his entire life. "You're a good duelist, right?"

"I guess…" she shrugged.

"I missed your whole duel at the exams," he scratched the back of his head. "I was so late that morning!"

She laughed a little. "I was nearly late, too…" but the smile turned into a frown, and Jaden thought he might have inadvertently put a sour thought in her head with that reminder.

"But, err – luckily I've seen you duel before," he said quickly, getting back to what he'd been meaning to say all day. "You got some sweet skills."

"You have?" she asked, surprised, and Syrus, having just turned with a tray of tea in his hands, echoed her words.

"Yeah," Jaden said, eyes on Cori, and then Syrus, as he held out his hands, taking hold of the tray while Syrus sat down across from him. "In the park sometimes – you beat that kid with the twin, right?"

She smiled at that, "That could mean either one."

He laughed, "Yes, it can," she'd taken her cup of tea, and Jaden helped himself to his as well, and then noticed the fourth cup. "Hey, Chumley – you got tea, too!"

Syrus shrugged, "If you want it…"

"I don't!" Chumley, still occupying the top-most bed, was invisible beneath his sheets and sounded even snappier than he had that morning.

"Hey – Syrus was just being nice," Jaden snapped too, before he could stop himself.

"Well…no thanks, anyway," Chumley said, a little quieter. "Besides, it makes you wet the bed… Err, not that I do! Or ever did…hmp…"

"More for me," Jaden said cheerily, and meant it after the first sip – Syrus did make a great cup of tea. "You know, Cori," he started up again after a few more sips in silence, but only got so far when a sudden vibration against his chest, and a loud ring, startled him so much he nearly dropped his cup and spilled his tea. "What was that?!"

"Your PDA," Chumley said from above, and Jaden might have sworn he'd heard him add 'stupid' to the end of that.

"Oh," frowning, Jaden set down his cup and dug into his jacket's inside pocket, producing the little red device. "How does this thing work…?" he scratched at his cheek, cocked an eyebrow, and took to looking it over.

"Jaden," Cori shook her head. "Let me help?"

"Sure," Jaden shrugged, handing it over. "Unless it's a duel disk I'm not really good with technology…"

"We'll be sure to remember that," Cori said, pressing buttons and flipping open the cover like it was meant to do that. "…You have a message…" she leaned over, opening the little envelope and showing him the screen, upon which appeared a face. Not just any face either – Chazz Princeton.

_ "So, you challenged one of us to a duel, slacker?"_ he said, wearing that same smirk he'd had on before, and Jaden found himself idly wondering whether Chazz practiced the look in a mirror each day. _"Such arrogance. I'd be happy to give you a proper lesson in how to respect your peers myself – first one's free of charge. Bring your friends; maybe they'll learn something, too – not to mention how little fun schooling you will be without an audience. Maybe when I'm done with you I'll mop the floor with them, too. The arena. Midnight. Be there, slackers."_

"Technology," Jaden muttered, taking the PDA from Cori. "Was there ever a time when sending a message meant reading it instead of listening to it? I almost missed half of that…" he thought a moment, scratched his cheek. "I don't like reading, though…"

"You shouldn't do it," Chumley said suddenly, and, puzzled, Jaden looked up at the bed. "What – read? People always used to tell me I should—"

"No!" Chumley snapped, sitting up and looking down at them – somehow, the ponytails on his head, tiny, spiky balls, were unruffled despite him having spent the whole day in bed – "I meant the duel! You'll get into trouble. Besides, Chazz Princeton is the best duelist in Prep School – there's no way a mere Slifer can beat him."

"Hey, Jaden did beat Dr. Crowler…" Syrus muttered in defense half-heartedly, but then added, "But maybe Chumley's right, Jay—"

"And maybe he's not – Chazz isn't in Prep School anymore, you know," Cori cut in. Jaden gave her a glance, a little surprised she was partaking in the discussion at all – she'd been quiet all day.

"You'll still get in trouble," Chumley insisted.

"Did you see Chazz at Prep School, Chumley?" Jaden said, before anyone else could say anything, and, taken aback, Chumley stared. "What makes you think I went to Prep School?"

Jaden shrugged, "Because you know about Chazz—"

"Everyone knows about Chazz."

"We didn't – until this afternoon. And you've been in your room all day."

Chumley sniffed indignantly, "Let's just say I've been here a while," he pulled his covers back up to his neck and lay down with his back to them. "I hear things. But you go ahead and duel – don't listen to me."

"I never said I was going to…" Jaden muttered, and Syrus chipped in, "So you're not?" he sounded hopeful, and somewhere inside Jaden felt a little guilty for saying this, but, "Are you kidding, Sy – of course I am! I've wanted to duel someone all day!"

Syrus sighed.

"Chazz Princeton won't know what hit him!" Jaden said again, grinning now, feeling excited. "I can take him in one turn – no, half a turn!"

"_Half_ a turn?" Cori laughed, shaking her head, and Jaden smiled.

"Jaden, we _need_ to work on that over-confidence…" Syrus muttered.

'Over-confidence' Syrus had said…It was only over-confidence if you couldn't back it up. _Exaggerated_, what with talking about half a turn, sure – but _never_ over-confident.

"Or would you like me to beat you up some more?" Chazz's voice snapped Jaden from his thoughts, and the Slifer laughed.

"Wait your turn, Chazz," he said, straightening up. "You haven't got anything left to attack with right now," he grinned.

Chazz scowled. "I end with a facedown – now take your turn so I can end this."

"Whatever you say Chazz," Jaden replied, drawing his next card. "Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode (1600) – now, take out Chthonian Soldier!"

Sparkman, his suit covered in shiny colors of blue and yellow, sped across the field and blasted Chazz's Soldier with a bolt of lightning; sparks flying across the field and Chthonian Soldier bursting into bits as it was sent to the Graveyard. Chazz gave a short cry, his Life Points lowering, but Jaden let out an equally shrilling noise, Chthonian Soldier's weapon having spun through the air, hitting Jaden with all the glorious holographic imagery of a Kaiba Corp. duel disk.

"What happened…?" Syrus, looking mortified, asked from beside the dueling platform where he stood between Cori and Alexis – she'd shown up rather spontaneously shortly after the duel started. Apparently she knew Chazz well.

Jaden caught another breath, scratched at the back of his head and only paid attention with half an ear as Chazz explained, "When Chthonian Soldier is destroyed in battle, you take the same amount of damage as I do."

"Thanks for the warning…" Jaden muttered. "Anyway," he said, louder. "I'll just throw down a facedown and call it a turn."

"Finally," Chazz said sarcastically, drawing a card. He barely looked at it before he ordered the attack, and Jaden could hardly contain his grin.

"I activate my Trap card," he announced triumphantly, just as Wingman and Sparkman came close – one ready to attack, the other with arms raised and sparks flying to defend even though it was plainly useless, "Mirror Gate!"

"That's great!" it was Alexis's voice off to Jaden's left, sounding so excited. "Now Wingman and Sparkman will trade fields!"

One moment Sparkman was in front of Jaden, grappling with the Wingman – thunder clapping and lightning flashing, turning the world momentarily white – and the next it was the Wingman with Sparkman on his other side.

"And you know the best part, Chazz?" Jaden asked; Chazz's scowl just barely visible beyond the light. "The attack still continues!"

Another moment more and Sparkman shattered and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. Wingman retreated to Jaden's side, and the only remaining sound was Chazz's scream as his Life Points dropped down to 1500.

"Way to play, Jay!" Syrus cheered, and Jaden shot him a grin.

"Thanks, Sy."

"Don't celebrate just yet, slackers," Chazz scathed, and drew himself up, straightening his jacket as he regained composure. Jaden frowned slightly, not sure how much longer he felt like listening to Chazz Princeton's general tone of voice. Making enemies was mandatory – there were even a ton of kids back home who didn't like Jaden much, but at least they hadn't had their knives in for him from the get-go.

And this all because he beat some important teacher…

"I activate the Spell card Chthonian Blast!" Chazz was still speaking. "And with it, I can destroy your Wingman!"

"Ah, man!" Jaden couldn't help moaning, and pouting a little, as he was forced to send the Wingman to the Grave. Beside the platform Syrus shared his sentiments, "Ah, but he just got him back…"

"Clean slate…" Jaden thought Cori muttered, and he glanced at her. She had her eyes on Chazz, for a wonder, and he thought she'd been frowning slightly – before she looked up at him, and gave a small smile. Was that a blush, too?

"Mefist the Infernal General!" Chazz said, and Jaden jumped, not sure where this monster had come from – but then he saw Chazz's Call of the Haunted. "You'd better be scared, slacker. Now take your turn so I can finish you off."

Jaden shook his head ever so slightly – now was not the time to be thinking about his new friend staring at and blushing over staring at his new rival. "Not if I finish you first," Jaden said, deciding this was now or never, and, taking hold of the top-most card in his deck, pulled it free—


	4. Love Letter

Love letter

* * *

A distant, methodical _thump-thump_ against the floor caught Alexis's attention in the following moment of silence – Jaden having drawn his most recent card, the smile on his face splitting into a wide grin. Despite how curious she was to know what he had drawn, or what he could possibly have done with it, nothing was quite worth getting into as much trouble as they would be in if they got caught in the arena after hours – not even watching Chazz get schooled by a rookie Slifer.

"Guys!" she cut in, even as Jaden opened his mouth to speak. "We have to go!"

"What?" Jaden turned to her, puzzled, and his pair of friends at her side glanced at her and then each other with a shrug.

"Campus security!" Alexis hissed, gesturing the doorway.

Silence. And then the rhythmic march of footsteps met their ears.

Sy made a sound that sounded like a yelp.

"We'll be in _so_ much trouble if they catch us."

"But…we're all students here?" Sy muttered, sounding like he was asking rather than defending.

"That doesn't matter – the rules clearly state no after hour dueling allowed," Alexis explained sternly, then shot Chazz a hard look. "Chazz knows that, though I bet he '_forgot_' to tell you."

His cheeks went pink, as it so often did when she berated him, but Alexis couldn't care – he was being a jerk. Not that he knew how to be anything else…

Scowling, Chazz crossed his arms, "Hmp – they should have read the rules themselves. Anyway, let's go guys," and he turned about as though leaving had been his idea and he expected everyone else to go along with it for no other reason. "I've seen what I came here to see."

Meeting Topher and Conklin by the steps off the platform, the pair made snide comments about Jaden's defeating Crowler being no more than a fluke, as they followed in Chazz's wake – taking their time.

"But wait—" Jaden was still speaking even as Chazz had taken the first few steps down. "We're not done…!"

"Come _on_, Jaden!" Alexis snapped.

"Ugh – but I…" shoulders slumped; Jaden scowled at Chazz's retreating back, before he kicked at the ground and crossed his arms. Rolling her eyes at the Slifer, Alexis had directed Jaden's companions to where the back entrance was and they took off at as quiet a run as they could manage. She'd climbed up the platform and had Jaden by the arm even before he'd properly tucked one hand under his elbow.

"Oh!" he didn't even notice until she started pulling him along, not bothering with the stairs.

Jaden half hopped, half stumbled off the platform after her, and nearly stomped all the way out the back entrance where they met his friends. Only then did Alexis let go of his sleeve, and, turning to face him, she said, "You're really stubborn, you know that?"

Jaden's scowl turned instantly into a grin, "Only about my dueling," he said, managing to sound serious and playful at the same time. "I mean," he was all seriousness then, though, "I had that guy on the ropes!"

Alexis crossed her arms, skeptical. "If you ask me, it could still have gone either way between you and Chazz."

Jaden chuckled, and held up the last card he'd drawn, which he'd still had in his hand all this time, "Not after I drew this."

Alexis had to blink for her eyes not to widen with surprise, realization dawning at once. With that card, Jaden would have won for sure. She smiled, "Well, there's a surprise I didn't see coming."

Another lighthearted laugh and the Slifer settled his hands behind his head. "I'm full of surprises, Alexis."

"Jaden," the little blue-haired kid piped up in his small voice, still sounding as nervous as he'd been all night. Jaden had called him 'Sy' before, and Alexis wondered what it was short for. "Shouldn't we be leaving – before more security people show up?"

"Your friend's right," Alexis said. "They check everywhere. Not to mention we have classes tomorrow," she settled her hands on her hips. "Better not be late, Jaden," she teased without really having meant to, and then, before she could take it in and do something more stupid and embarrassing, Alexis waved one hand through the air and wandered off with a quick glance at Jaden's friends in greeting.

"Err – bye!" Jaden said after her, and Sy might have mumbled something as well. He spoke louder then, talking to Jaden just as Alexis disappeared from their view between the shrubs and trees – a little further along and she'd find the path that led to her dorm.

"You still didn't introduce us, Jay…" Sy was saying, and Jaden replied carelessly, "Ah, Syrus – you had the whole duel to tell her your name," he laughed.

Syrus's reply was lost on Alexis, who suddenly found she knew who the kid was – Syrus _Truesdale_. She'd never seen the guy's little brother before, and they barely look alike, yet even so… What other Slifer Red Syrus could there be?

* * *

Cornelia's room might well have the luxury of a key to lock out the boys with, but the bathroom was a different story.

There was two, of course, on the off chance a girl ended up in Slifer, but since it hadn't happened in years, the plumbing had aged and rusted without repair, leaving only one working bathroom, and everyone had to share it. Cornelia was a little more than uncomfortable never mind the showers having curtains and toilets having cubicles. Her mother was right – Mr. Kaiba hadn't thought this through. So, though it only meant a few hours of sleep, Cori had set her PDA to go off at around five – giving her more than enough time to shower at leisure, dress, wash her face and brush her teeth before the first few boys came sleepily in through the door little more than an hour later. She dodged out quick as she could, half of them not even noticing her.

Putting away her things once she got back to her room, Cornelia fetched her deck from under her pillow and went through it. She hadn't done that since her exam. She'd always used to do it with her old cards. Absently Cori shook her head – this wouldn't be about her old cards; she had new ones now and she was creating a bond with them, never mind what her brother said… _"It's your deck, Cor – you don't trust it the way you should. It's not made for you, it's not meant for you. The cards are already against you for that. You won't get far in the Academy with those cards. You need the old ones back. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be going to the Academy at all – it's not safe…"_

He'd come to her room in the middle of the night, flopping down on a chair, unaware that she was awake in her bed and still upset over his general absence, and just started talking as though this was absolutely normal and he did it every night. In fact, he did. He said so._ "…I come to your room every night. I listen to you talk in your sleep… I tell you stories – about the Game. About what it took me to get where I was. What I went through to give it up… That was as necessary for me, as it is for me to work where I am now. I'm doing it for you so much as everyone else involved – and if it means I have to give up seeing you and spending time with you for long hours and a horrible boss…so be it. When everything's over, it'll be worth it."_

And then he'd brought up the one thing she'd never been about to tell him even if they were talking, and then he told her it was her cards' fault. _"Mom tells me about your dreams – the ones you have about your cards always turning against you…"_

Wingweaver fell onto the pile in front of her, followed by The Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh—

_…Amy_.

She paused, smiling as she looked down at the fuzzy little creature that had saved her in the Entrance Exam. If it hadn't been for Amy's Kuriboh she would never have won that match. And it hadn't been a lucky draw, either – she wouldn't start believing that. It was the cards. She was finally getting used to them and Logan's know-it-all opinions be well and truly damned. She scowled, and then shook her head. Not even the thought of him would mess up her first real day at the Academy.

So she sighed, and continued looking through her cards, over and over…

Cori had no idea how long she sat there before Jaden and Syrus came knocking at her door, eager for breakfast and wondering if she'd had hers yet.

Surprisingly, Jaden didn't eat nearly as much as he had the day before, "I'm too excited!" he'd explained, settling his plate atop theirs and hopping to his feet. "I'm ready to start going to class already!" then he paused, a puzzled expression on his face, and rubbed his cheek with one finger. "Never thought I'd hear myself say _that_…"

Cori and Syrus shared a glance, and were laughing right along with Jaden a second later – before the brown-haired Slifer darted off, betting them their lunches they couldn't beat him to class.

Beating Jaden to class might have been less of a problem if Cori could actually have figured out where class was. Syrus, despite his short legs, had managed to outrun her at some point, and she'd lost both boys when they'd disappeared from view down hallways and around corners. Whether or not they'd doubled back to find her, though, Cori didn't know, since she must have taken an opposite turn somewhere and gotten herself even more separated from them than she had been before. She figured she was decidedly lost and decidedly late when the hallways turned quite empty after a while, and there weren't even any more Obelisks around to sneer and scowl in her general direction simply because she wore an over-sized, meant-for-a-boy Slifer Red jacket (and boots, making the running a _might_ uncomfortable, to say the least – no wonder Syrus had outrun her at last).

So, thoroughly alone and feeling deflated, Cori took to turning around and wandering back the way she thought she'd come, in the hope of at least finding the entrance to the building so she could start over again.

Duel Academy's main building seemed a lot bigger on the inside than it did from the outside, which was saying a lot. Some hallways were just hallways that twisted and turned with no doors leading to rooms, and no windows looking outside either. Other hallways were filled with doors, behind which resided empty classrooms or bathrooms, or broom cupboards – the latter Cori only knew because a janitor came out when she strode past, wiping sweat from his brow and heaving a mop over his shoulder, a bucket in his other hand. She might have asked him which way to go, but when he saw her he scowled furiously and strode past her while muttering about 'them ruddy Slifers' just loud enough for her to hear, so the thought was immediately scrubbed from her mind. She promptly headed in the opposite direction as well, which led her further nowhere.

Every time she came to a closed door, she'd press her ear against it hoping to hear Dr. Crowler shouting at some poor Slifer kid – which was a terrible thing to hope for, but the only thing that would tell her she'd made it to the right class.

According to the clock on her PDA class wasn't over yet at least, but apart from figuring out how to turn the thing on and check a message or her timetable, Cori had no idea whether there was anything that might help her predicament on the device – like maybe a little map.

Everything around her was a bright white – white stripes ran along white walls, and large white tiles made up the floor beneath her feet. Some corridors were so brilliantly polished she could almost clearly see her own reflection. Meandering down the way, her fingers tracing the white line against the wall, something suddenly occurred to her – the stripes along the walls were blue down the corridors she and Syrus and Jaden had followed to get to the dueling arena, since it was in the Obelisk section of the Academy. With Dr. Crowler as head of Obelisk Blue, didn't it stand to reason then, that his classroom would be in the same place?

"So, all I have to do," Cori said to herself aloud, having stopped to stare at her fingers on the white line. "Is find the blue line?"

"If Crowler's class is the one you're looking for, yeah."

Cori spun round at the sound of the unfamiliar voice behind her, thinking perhaps she'd been caught by another teacher – and that while talking to herself.

But instead of finding a teacher, Cori found herself in the company of a tall, dark haired Obelisk boy. He had a slight grin on his face, like he was trying hard not to smile too broadly – or laugh, for that matter – and his hands stuffed casually in the pockets of his dark jeans, which, Cori thought, was an alteration to the usual Obelisk uniform. His blue jacket hung open, revealing a royal blue shirt underneath, and clipped to the collar a pair of dark shades. His eyes were a deep, dark brown, watching her comically.

Her temper had flared up the moment she'd seen his miserable attempt at hiding that amused grin. So she crossed her arms and didn't bother hiding her scowl, as she said irritably, "Go ahead and laugh at the poor Slifer _slacker_ who got lost on her way to class, I can tell you're just dying to. And then maybe you can tell me something I haven't heard already, about what Dr. Crowler might do to me in detention." She rolled her eyes.

The boy did grin then, properly, showing all his teeth, and it only made Cori seethe a little more inside. He pulled his hands from his pockets though, raising them as if in defense, "Slow down, Slifer chick, I'm not here to bad-mouth you."

"_That_ is a new one…" Cori muttered under her breath, but she still eyed him apprehensively as he took to striding towards her.

He spoke as he walked, returning one hand to his pocket while gesturing through the air with the other, waving his hand and moving his fingers as though he were directing a choir, "You know not _all_ Obelisks delight in the tormenting of you sad little Slifer people – no offense," he shrugged. "I myself would be a hypocrite if I did that – two years ago I was a Slifer, too."

He stopped, two steps away, and gave her what he must've thought was a very warm smile.

"Now, I haven't seen him since my first year, what with him dropping out and all," the boy continued, never taking his eyes off Cori, like he was watching her reaction to his words. "And seeing you from a little closer up I have to admit you look absolutely nothing alike – you must take after your mom more than him – but that damn blue hair is nearly identical and unmistakable," he grinned, perhaps more at the way Cori's eyes had gone a little wider, her lips parting in surprise. Him staring at her like that she could feel her cheeks burning up and her temper dwindling to ashes. "You're Logan's little sister, ain't you?"

Cori's arms uncrossed and she faced him properly, having had her head turned to him as her eyes had kept him in sight, but not the rest of her, "You knew my brother?"

"Course I did, Fire Princess," he shrugged again, returning his other hand to its cozy pocket as well. Cori eyed him askance at what he'd called her, but said nothing about it. He went on speaking anyway like he hadn't noticed. "First-years together – we sat next to each other at the Entrance Exams. I had the silly notion in my head that we'd be friends once we got in, but…" his grin faded a little at that, his dark eyes drifting off to the side like he was recalling a memory he'd not pondered on in some time. "What with him skipping up to Obelisk and myself a lowly Slifer, you can guess at the rest."

"Was he… I mean…" Cori struggled over phrasing the question right, not even wanting to think that little of her brother. She'd done enough of thinking badly about him over the past few years; she didn't feel like adding another offense to the plate.

Her dark-haired companion seemed to think the same thing, "I recon you don't want that question answered any more than you want it asked, Forgiving Maiden."

"Would you quit doing that?" she snapped suddenly, crossing her arms again and giving him an annoyed look. "I'm not a Duel Monster."

"As you say, Dancing Fairy," he replied, his grin returned, and before she could snap something else at him, he added, "Name's Taylor, by the by," and he took a step closer, sticking out his hand for her to shake.

"…Cori," she mumbled, taking his hand. He shook hers quickly and firmly, only once before he let go and stuffed his hand back in his pocket. Then he turned his back to her and started walking even as he said, "You want to find Crowler's class, you follow me."

So Cori quickly fell into step beside him, her fingers catching hold of a stray strand of hair that was just too short to stay in her thick braid. Taylor was quiet as they walked, and even though Cori realized she probably ought to be paying attention to where they were headed more than anything else, so as not to get lost again, she couldn't help her train of thoughts – here was the perfect opportunity to find out something about her brother and his stay at the Academy. More than the technical stuff he'd never told her anything, except to say very shortly that he'd liked it here – however, that of course didn't explain why he'd dropped out, and Logan wasn't doing any elaborating either.

"So…" Cori stretched the word, half eyeing Taylor through her lengthy bangs and pretending that she hadn't been when he looked over at her. "How'd you become an Obelisk?" which wasn't what she'd been planning on asking at all…

"Why? Looking into taking the same trip?"

"No," she said stubbornly, abandoning her hair and crossing her arms. "I'm perfectly happy as a Slifer, thank you."

Taylor gave a laugh, "You've only been here a day! You probably haven't seen any cockroaches yet…"

Cori tried not to shudder at the thought of that. Taylor seemed not to notice, saying a moment later, "I stopped being a slacker, for starters…kind of," he amended as an afterthought. "Made it to Ra halfway through the year, but I didn't manage Obelisk until near the end of my second. It takes a lot to convince Dr. Crowler you're worthy enough of becoming an Obelisk, I'll tell you that."

"I can believe that…" Cori decided, considering how Jaden ended up a Slifer never mind he'd beaten Dr. Crowler in front of a million witnesses and the founder of the school. And the latter's ruddy assistant. _Ruddy_, she thought, _there's an amusing word…_

She was pondering just how to word said 'ruddy assistant' into the conversation like she wanted, when Taylor spared her the trouble, "So tell me, is it true about your brother? Logan's working for Seto Kaiba now?"

"Err – yeah. You didn't know about that…?"

"Nobody had a clue what he'd gone off to do after he dropped out. No one has much of an idea as to why he dropped out, either, but I reckon you'd know the reason better than any of us…" that had the vague notion of a question attached to it, but Taylor didn't wait for an answer. "I heard a rumor he'd shown up at this year's Entrance Exams carrying Kaiba's briefcase like he was being paid for it!" Taylor laughed. "He is, though, ain't he?"

"Yeah…yeah, he is," Cori replied quietly, her eyes on the floor, so she nearly missed following Taylor when he turned a corner.

"Well good for him, you know," the Obelisk was saying now, though Cori had the impression he didn't mean it. "He was good at assisting or whatnot," Taylor's hand made a quick appearance to wave through the air. And then he stopped short of a closed door, and, gesturing toward it and making a small bow Cori's way, he said, "Your classroom, Invader of the Throne. But if I were you I'd just go ahead and skip the rest of the lesson altogether, you know."

"That's probably not a bad idea…" Cori admitted, eyeing the blue lines along the walls where they reached the door on either side of it, with some apprehension and a sudden burst of butterflies in her stomach.

"I rarely give bad advice," Taylor said smugly, and then waved his hand through the air again, flicking his wrist as he said, "Here I leave you – try not to get lost again." Grinning, he turned on his heel.

"No promises," Cori muttered, and then said a little louder so he would hear, "Thanks a lot."

He waved to show he'd heard, and then rounded another corner and was out of sight. Only then did it occur to Cori to wonder what Taylor had been doing wandering the corridors, probably skipping a class, himself.

Putting it from her mind, Cori eventually turned to the door, raising her hand.

* * *

To Syrus's profound and shameful relief Cornelia had knocked on the door to Dr. Crowler's classroom in the middle of a lengthy speech berating Syrus for knowing, as Crowler believed all Slifers did – though this didn't excuse him for it – absolutely nothing.

Dr. Crowler's class had started with him giving a brief explanation on what the class was about – the theory of Duel Cards, which was closely link to the theory of dueling, but that was an entirely different subject, and, as Crowler pointed out with some stress, not to be confused with this one as so many students have done before. He then proceeded to list the four different kinds of cards, with two kinds separated into two sub-categories each, before he requested examples of each from the class. Furthermore, during the following term their main focus would be on only one of the kinds; its different types and their general uses when and how.

"Spell cards will be the first kind we take a look at this term," he'd said, slowly pacing the low platform in the front of the class. "There are several Types of Spell cards, and to know which ones to play, you must know which ones to use. Miss Rhodes – tell the class what these Types are that I refer to."

Alexis had stood up from her seat and recited them poetically, but despite listening to what she was saying, Syrus had found he heard nothing but the melodic sound of her voice. Beside him Jaden had been paying just as little attention, but for different reasons – he was practically asleep in his seat. As Syrus's luck would have it, however, it was to him that Crowler turned to answer the next question, which he'd not only not heard, but had also, embarrassingly, been startled by when he suddenly heard Crowler just beside him, and was thus on his feet in a second, face flushed, but with nothing to say.

Dr. Crowler had started preaching at once, and despite Jaden's sudden participation in order to defend his friend, the Doctor didn't let up on his monologue. He was on the point of giving them detention for a month, Syrus was sure, when there was an unexpected knock on the door and the entire class fell silent; Dr. Crowler included. Composed thus, he said importantly, "Enter," to which Cori had opened the door and hesitantly stuck in her head, followed by the rest of her as Dr. Crowler said, "Ah, Miss Swain – come to join us at last! Come. Sit," he'd pointed at the empty seat beside Syrus, who'd slowly sunk back into his own without notice. "And see me after class to arrange your detention – this is no way to start the year!"

Dr. Crowler's classroom was comprised of several wide steps filling the width of the room and leading from the door down to the platform containing his desk and chair, several shelves and general classroom clutter; whereupon lengthy desks and seats stood with only space enough between to create a neat row from the doorway, down which Cori came trudging, shoulders slumped, beside sneering, laughing Obelisks to one side, displeased Ra's to the other, and a handful of  
sympathetic Slifers besides. She sat tentatively down next to Syrus, glancing at him and Jaden – who grinned like nothing was wrong and he was just happy to see she'd made it – before sighing quietly and paying attention.

Dr. Crowler had, meanwhile, returned to the subject at hand; Jaden and Syrus forgotten, and however bad he felt for Cori, Syrus was relatively grateful for not having been punished. Word of the stuttering Slifer kid Crowler had been picking on and _Jaden_ – whom everyone recognized by now as the boy who'd beaten Crowler in the exams – defending him was bound to get around by lunchtime, and Syrus didn't want to add to the disappointment he already was by receiving detention as well.

It was with a mildly heavy heart then that he and Jaden left Cori with Crowler after class to head over to the boys' locker rooms for their next period – gym – which they'd be having separately from the girls anyway. Jaden was talking about class like he'd actually heard something, and wondering aloud where Cori had disappeared to for her to be gone when they'd finally found class, and how she'd found them at last, while Syrus stared at his shoes, his head filled with what the rest of the class – and the Obelisks especially – would be thinking and saying about him. Would their mocking Slifers behind their backs – and in front of their faces for that matter – include talk of his humiliation in class? More importantly – would it reach the ears of his—?

But this thought was abruptly cut off by a high-pitched scream – several in fact – to which Syrus lifted his head in alarm, only to find himself faced with a cluster of girls half-dressed in their uniforms and otherwise their gym wear. Though Syrus didn't need the encouragement, he was still pushed and shoved from the locker room by a dozen fists and palms that felt more like they were hitting him out the door than anything else, and wouldn't quite let go until they were sure he was not only outside, but also still moving of his own volition. Face radish-red and the feel of it beneath his cheeks resembling a glowing furnace on a brisk winter's eve, Syrus was sprinting so fast in any direction that was the opposite of the girls' locker room even as they forced him out that he barely took the time to notice exactly where he was. Vaguely he glimpsed what must have been Cori's bright blue locks if it weren't just some Obelisk's jacket in the corner of his vision, but either way he didn't stop to find out, and hoped that no matter which one it was, they hadn't taken notice of him.

His first day and he was already making a mess of things.

When he finally came to a halt it was down a lonely corridor striped with blue along its walls, and Syrus took a deep breath trying to concentrate and retrace his steps. Eventually reaching the right locker room after what felt like years, Syrus rushed in to see there was no one, and didn't pause for a much needed breath before locating his locker, ripping open the door so he could fetch his clothes and dress quickly, only to stop in surprise when he noticed someone else's Slifer uniform already occupying the space reserved for his own.

Syrus blinked, and turned back the door to check the name on it – but there it was, in big bold letters: _Truesdale, S_.

"So whose…?" he glanced at the boots, inspected the neatly folded jacket and pants without touching them, and then noticed a very distinct stain against the red fabric – ketchup. Syrus sighed, "_Jaden_."

Shaking his head and shrugging it off – figuring Jaden must not have found his own locker and just decided on using Syrus's instead – Syrus was about to take his gym wear down from the top rack when something else caught his eye: a thin white envelope lay slightly askew off Jaden's jacket, like it had been placed there in a rush for someone to find. Or rather, for _Syrus_ to find, since this was _his_ locker, and Jaden's uniform could easily have been mistaken for his all folded up like that with no indication of size or shape. Syrus paused, gulping – what could possibly be inside?

Was it a snide, inappropriate Obelisk-letter, trying to make him feel even worse about the previous class's happenings? Or had Dr. Crowler remembered about wanting him and Jaden in detention after all, and had sent them a letter to inform them? Upon second consideration this seemed silly, though, since Crowler would almost certainly rather want to tell them personally, preferably in front of an audience – the thought of which did nothing for the butterflies in his stomach.

There was only one other thing Syrus thought the envelope could contain, and it made him feel even queasier, especially since he thought putting it in a letter was just the kind of thing _he_ would do.

Hoping it wouldn't explode – and then wishing maybe it did – Syrus snatched up the envelope, opened it and held it open at arm's length for the contents to fall on the floor. It _was_ a letter.

Cringing still, he picked it up, unfolded it, and swallowed before he started reading. But as his eyes scanned over the contents, taking in every word, they grew wider and wider with incredulity. Twice more he read through the letter, and checked and rechecked the name signed at the end just to make sure he'd read it right the first three times. Finally, having ended up sitting flat on the floor through some manner or other, staring at the ceiling without really seeing it, Syrus sighed blissfully, "_Alexis._"

* * *

**Thanks to all who read, follow and fave! :D You make me happy :)**


	5. Confrontation

Confrontation

* * *

Alexis sighed, sinking back against her huge, feathery pillows, content with nestling in their softness for the remainder of the afternoon. Shutting her eyes, she let her thoughts wander, finding them involuntarily circling around Jaden.

Well, maybe 'involuntarily' wasn't the right word. She'd known right away he'd be picking up trouble with Chazz any minute when she'd glimpsed the Slifer talking to his lackeys the day before, but she'd waited patiently for Chazz to arrive before she cut into their conversation – watching the Obelisk's cheeks light up whenever she told him off for trying to act like he knew everything was absolutely priceless. She grinned a little at the memory. Chazz's little crush on her was so amusing, the poor sap.

She giggled – she shouldn't be so mean.

_Anyway_, Alexis thought, meaning to be serious a moment, _Jaden_.

She'd wanted to speak to him herself, to get a glimpse of what he was like when he _wasn't_ dueling – there was little difference.

He was so never-minded about half the things he did, Alexis wasn't sure whether to be annoyed by it, or to admire him – just because it made him seem like he was enjoying life more than the rest of them. The way he took down Crowler's Gear Golem without a care in the world back at the Entrance Exams, or just that morning when he slid to a stop in front of her just as she was about to enter the class, "Sorry, Alexis!" grinning from ear to ear, little Syrus slinking behind.

Or even during his duel against Chazz. She'd known the Obelisk would challenge him – he'd beaten Doctor Crowler after all, and Chazz would want to prove himself better than Jaden just because he thought he could. And in case he couldn't he'd duel Jaden where no one else could see, and get him into trouble to boot. He did have a point, though – Jaden should have read the rules…

Alexis smiled; of course Jaden didn't read rules – by the way of him, she thought he must never even have heard of the word, much less known they were written down somewhere.

She sighed, rolling over onto her side.

She wished she'd thought so far as challenging Jaden to a duel. Maybe he would've picked to duel her instead of Chazz, and she could've shown that nose-in-the-air-Obelisk how it was done.

"After all," she said to herself aloud, propping her up on one elbow and puffing up a pillow with her free hand before she lay back down, "There's _no_ way he would beat me."

She closed her eyes again, imagining the look on Jaden's face once he'd lost. _But what a challenge it wouldn't be… I could do with a challenge_.

…

Jaden smiled at her from across Dr. Crowler's classroom, turned about in his seat with his back to the Doctor, who was scowling and yelling at him. But Alexis couldn't hear a word Dr. Crowler was saying to Jaden, and by the look on the boy's face he either couldn't as well, or he just didn't bother to listen. Either scenario seemed likely enough, Alexis figured, shrugging it off. Dr. Crowler wasn't important just now, anyway – it was Jaden who had her attention. He was the only one looking at her, and she was the only one noticing it. The rest of the class, she saw when she looked about, a little confused, was furiously busy copying work off the board. Only…the board was empty. Annoyed now, Alexis turned to Mindy, who sat on her right. The dark-haired girl was writing as quickly as she could, plainly unaware that her pen had gone dry and she was merely scratching across the paper, word after invisible word. "_Mindy_," Alexis said loudly, tugging at the girl's arm, but there was no response. She gaped at her friend, and looked around again at everyone else, and then at Jaden, but he'd disappeared. "What is going _on_ here?" she exclaimed, making to stand, but she'd barely moved when Jaden's hand came to rest on her shoulder, gently easing her back into her chair.

"Relax, Alexis, it's all good," he grinned at her.

"But they're all—" she started, and stopped when he laughed.

"They all who?" he said. "It's just you and me…" and he leaned a little closer, making Alexis blush. She scanned the room from the corner of her eye – he was right; it _was_ just the two of them, though she could have sworn the class was filled with students not a moment ago. "It's been just us for a while now, and," Jaden was still talking, and Alexis looked back at him. He wasn't looking at her, and his grin had faded a little. He sounded so serious, "Well, I've been wanting to…" he was tapping his fingers against the desktop. _Tap-tap_. He leaned a little closer, and Alexis's breath caught in her throat – where was he going with this?

"To ask you…"

_Tap-tap-tap_ – a little faster every time, a little closer with every word, "…something…"

_Tap-tap-tap-tap_ – until she could feel his breath brush against her lips, "Duel me?"

_TAP_.

Alexis's eyes shot open, and the first thing she noticed besides the sweat on her brow and the way she was clutching her pillow with one hand, was the beat of her heart. And then the rapid _tap-tap_ from her dream reached her ears, and she recognized it as the knock on her door. She sighed, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling for a second, ignoring the door a while longer – it was already dark in her room, she must have missed dinner…likely that was Miss Fontaine, or Mindy and Jasmine, come to see if anything was wrong. She thought of her dream, and then decided she didn't really want to think about that. _Just the two of us_, she scowled at nothing in particular and got to her feet, stalking over to the door.

"Yes?" she said, a might impatiently, as she flung open the door. Jasmine, her red hair framing her face like a thick, fiery bush, her grey-green eyes filled with concern, was standing in front of her, one hand poised for another knock and paused in the middle of the action. "Oh," she said, smiling. "You're still alive!"

Alexis smiled a little as well, rolling her eyes.

"You missed dinner!" Mindy piped up, from behind Jasmine.

"I was tired," Alexis shrugged. "So I slept a while… Took you long enough to get worried enough to check on me," she added in mock annoyance. "What if there really had been something wrong?"

Jasmine and Mindy shared a glance, and gave her innocent smiles, "We'd have attended your funeral?" Jasmine said hopefully, making Alexis roll her eyes again. But she smiled, thinking that remark to be typical of them. She'd known the pair since their first year at Prep School together, and felt in some ways a little honored to have been included in their small circle of friendship, since they'd known each other all their lives, and had stayed a pair for more than half that, separate from the rest of the world. They had a care-freeness about them they only had when they were together, and Alexis enjoyed their quips and quirks, content that they shared them with her even if she would never mean as much to them as they obviously meant to each other. That was evident by the many times they'd completely forgotten she was there – or _wasn't_ there.

And then there were times they reminded her she was at least a little special to them, including her in their plans – like now.

"Since you're alive and well-rested, though," Mindy said, "We're taking a dip in the wading pool – come with us!"

"At _this_ hour?" Alexis said, though in truth she had no idea what the time was, since she hadn't checked her watch. It couldn't still be early, though – the wading pool was strictly closed during the week, and if they were planning on sneaking in, it must already be after bedtime.

"Duh – otherwise we'd get caught," Jasmine replied, and Alexis mentally admitted it had been a stupid question, especially since she already knew the reason for it anyway.

"I mean," she amended, "Why not just wait until the weekend?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Jasmine said, again like it was obvious, and grinned. "Come _on_, Alexis – it's not like we'll get caught." That was the trump-card – their spotless record, despite such irresponsible behavior. "It'll be fun – _and_ it'll be just us."

"No other girls to listen in on our conversations or whatnot," Mindy added. "We haven't hung out since Prep School, just the three of us. _So_ – in or out?"

"Please say 'in', please say 'in'," Jasmine muttered just loud enough for Alexis to hear, and the latter sighed, giving in.

"Fine," she smiled. "I'll put on my bathing suit…"

"Yes!" echoed the other two, giving each other quiet high-fives.

* * *

Cori had been almost certain that was Syrus who'd sped past her from the girls' locker room during their gym period, but she made a mental note not to mention it to the boy since he'd apparently had an embarrassing enough experience in Crowler's class just before she'd come in – she'd heard the girls whispering about it from beyond the cubicle she'd hidden in to dress. Crowler's reprimanding her for being late – ironically – after class, had made her late enough to gym that Alexis at least was already dressed when Cori got to the locker room.

She'd been on her way out the door behind a pair of tall, slim girls who'd nearly run Cori over as she was about to enter. "Watch it, squirt," one of them had said, as she gave Cori a little shove so as to pass. Nearly two heads taller than Cornelia, she was deeply tanned with dark blonde hair cropped short around her oval face. Her companion on the other hand was pale as a sheet with lengthy black hair tied at the nape of her neck. She was more attractive than her friend, but not nearly as polite, giving Cori a sideways scowl and snorting as she followed the blonde.

It was then Alexis appeared as though out of nowhere, dressed in a tight-fitting pair of shorts and her jacket zipped only halfway up, revealing a blue shirt beneath. Alexis was a very attractive girl; curvy in all the right places, and thin, and prettily tanned. Cori tried not to cringe.

"Ebony and Ivory, those two," Alexis was saying, referring to the pair that had just left.

No wonder Chazz Princeton must have a crush on her, Cornelia found herself thinking – it was plainly obvious by that furious blush on his cheeks every time he just so much as _looked_ at the girl. And Syrus couldn't utter a word, not even to introduce himself, around her. She must make all boys go completely nuts. Cori tried not to frown, less Alexis notice something was wrong. Mentally Cori scowled – she was boney and curve-less, like a plank of thin wood, with no hips and no bust to speak of whatsoever. Despite living in a dorm surrounded by boys, not one had given her half a glance except to acknowledge her existence, and then vaguely at best. She might as well have been a boy for all anyone knew. A boy with very long hair, albeit, but a boy nonetheless.

"Cori?"

"What? Nothing!" she snapped, Alexis startling her from her thoughts. The blonde stared at her, bright brown eyes a little wide, eyebrows raised like she didn't know what to expect.

"Heh…" Cori muttered, feeling her cheeks burn, and gave a small smile. "I should probably just…go get dressed…"

"That's…what I said," Alexis replied, smiling feebly, and stepping aside for Cornelia to pass.

Cori scowled all the way to her cubicle, where she dressed sulkily into a gym uniform nearly two sizes too big for her thin frame.

Gym was a nightmare – when she wasn't tripping over the length of her pants, she was taking too much time rolling up the ends to her knees that she missed half the game, or got hit in the head with the ball. At some point Miss Fontaine, who was probably somewhere in her early thirties, with deep pink hair and a pouty mouth, blew on her whistle to call to the group at large, "_Some_one fetch that girl a pair of decent shorts, _please_!"

"Don't have anymore, Ma'am," said a blonde second-year girl with a shrug. "They only ever send enough for the Obelisks, since there're never any girls in Slifer… Except for now, obviously…"

"Someone should speak to someone about that," Miss Fontaine muttered under her breath, and blew on her whistle so loud Cori's ears rang. The next time she went crashing against the ground, somehow managing to hit the ball and score a point by some miracle or another, she was sent to the bench despite the fact.

The following period was another torturous one with Dr. Crowler, this time on Dueling Theory, which he reminded them was not the same as Card Theory, and everything after that Cori might have just slept through for all the attention she gave.

Jaden had the right idea after lunch – a nice, long nap. But, by following her friend's example, Cori woke up in time for dinner, and realized she still had a heap of homework to finish afterward. Jaden shrugged at that, "Maybe later…" he'd discovered a game on his PDA and was excited about getting through the current level. Syrus, meanwhile, seemed like he was on his own little planet. He nodded, and muttered replies, and shrugged, and berated Jaden for eating six bowls of whatever Professor Banner called their dinner, and then again because Jaden had apparently left his clothes in Syrus's locker during gym (and the latter had only just then remembered the fact), to which Jaden replied it was only because there wasn't one marked for him. "At least you have decent pants," Cori had muttered at that.

Though invited for another cup of tea like the night before, Cori politely declined in favor of finishing her homework; she didn't get far. She'd felt sore and still tired after her afternoon sleeping session, and despite starting out vigorously with her summary of something about Spell cards she wasn't sure she was getting right at all after the first few sentences, sleep claimed her again. When she woke, she could have sworn it had been the echoes of a raging thunderstorm that had startled her awake. But, glancing out the window, and then out the door just to be sure, there was nothing. Not a single cloud in the sky even. Standing outside on the deck, hands on the railing, she sighed, feeling a headache brewing in the back of her mind. The air was nice and cool, the night bright with stars and an uncovered moon.

Suddenly, strangely, she felt wide awake.

She looked around, noticing the light in the far distance – the lighthouse by the harbor. Perhaps a walk would do her good. She could wander across the bridge and back, that would be far enough to tire her out and make her go to sleep. Nodding like she needed some physical form of agreement with herself, Cori snuck past the row of doors towards the stairs at the end – noticing Jaden and his roommates' light was still on, but when she tiptoed past the room she heard no noises from inside and figured they were probably asleep and had forgotten to turn off the light, which reminded her a little later she hadn't turned off her own before she left – and down those before she sprinted off in a quiet run until she felt sure she was a ways off from the dorm and wouldn't be too easily noticed if anyone came out their rooms for whatever reason.

Crossing her arms, feeling fairly content in the light breeze, she started her walk.

But the longer she kept going, the more concerned she became – had Alexis said campus security checked _everywhere_ for students wandering outside their dorms at night? What did they do to students they found? Probably the worst that would happen was a trip to the Chancellor's office…?

"Maybe then I could state my case about _girl_ uniforms for Slifers!" she snapped aloud. "And Ra's probably, too, if I'm planning on getting anywhere…"

She'd been watching the ground where she walked, but sighed now, and looked up at the stars. It wasn't two steps later she hit something hard, felt it bounce back from her with a cry and probably hit the ground by the sound of that _thud_, but Cornelia's crossed arms had come undone, and she'd caught hold of the bridge's railing just beside her in time to break her own fall.

Though she didn't need it to see what she'd walked into, the lighthouse light came passing by anyway, illuminating the figure before her. "Oh, word, you're a person!" she exclaimed, after which her first instinct was to run – if this was some security guard she was in deep trouble, but if he hadn't gotten a good look at her, she might still be able to get away…

"What did _you_ think?" he spoke, however, erasing the thought from her mind – she recognized that voice.

"Chazz?" she asked, squinting. He looked up, and she could make out his pale features through the dark. "Oh, it's you…"

"That's Chazz _Princeton_ to you, Slacker!"

"Not a first-name basis kind of guy," Cori muttered, shrugging. "Also – I spent half an hour on Crowler's homework I'll have you know; that is not the work of a slacker."

She thought he rolled his eyes at her. "What are you doing here, anyway? Slacker."

She glared at him. "Oh, you know, just wondering the same thing about you. Chazz."

There was a moment's silence, the pair of them caught in a staring contest.

Cornelia rolled her eyes first, annoyed at this silliness, and stuck out her hand, "Here."

"I can help myself!" he snapped, and did just that. Cori held up her hands as though in defense, "Just trying to be nice…"

"What for?" he snapped again, probably not meaning for her to answer, or to have heard, but she did anyway.

"I'm…a nice person? I think."

"Well go be nice to someone who cares. I don't appreciate it."

"Clearly…" she scoffed, but felt a little amused. Chazz had started off; passing her like he had somewhere important to be.

But Cornelia spun around, calling him back, "Wait a minute…!"

"What?" he said irritably, turning back towards her.

It had been on her mind since she'd glimpsed him on his yacht the day before, getting off at the harbor as she and the other first years less fortunate than Obelisks had exited the helicopters that had brought them to the island; and then when she saw him face-to-face in the arena that afternoon, watched him duel Jaden at midnight – he looked _so_ familiar.

"…Have we met before?"

"I'm the one that hit my head, Slacker, or do you suffer from short-term memory loss?" he said sarcastically.

"No, no," she waved a hand through the air. "Obviously we've met – sort of – but I meant before that, before…" she gestured again, trying to explain, "Before Duel Academy?"

"And _where_ would I have met you exactly? You obviously didn't go to Prep School, _Slifer_, so you must've been dreaming. I haven't seen you before in my life," Chazz said, firmly and dismissively, and turned away again, but Cori was already speaking even as he started stomping up the way. "Well, technically, you have, before – you know, like yesterday…" she stuck out her tongue at his retreating back, shrugging, "Meh."

"Quit talking to me," Chazz said loud enough for her to hear, scowling at her over his shoulder. "And don't go telling people you know me, Slifer _Slacker_."

"Hey!" she called, feebly. "I'm not…a slacker…maybe…" she shrugged, sighing. "I think Jaden broke me – it's all this running around…" she yawned, rolled her eyes, and abandoned her walk for bed. Apparently all she needed to tire her out was a spat with Chazz.

Never mind what _he_ said, Cori thought as she got into bed, she definitely knew him from somewhere. Who could forget that ridiculously styled hair, after all?

She pulled the covers up to her chin, clutching them tight. It certainly _felt_ like she knew him, like she'd spoken to him before – she'd never felt so at ease talking to a random stranger before, after all – not since she'd been a little kid, anyway. She hadn't even fallen into that comfortable attitude talking to Jaden yet, and _he_ was Jaden! He could talk to anyone and set them all at ease within seconds – even stuttering, nervous Syrus, who spoke near as little as Cori did.

So why hadn't it cost Chazz any effort?

_I_ do _know him…_ she insisted to herself. _I just have to remember from where…_

* * *

Jaden had nearly reached the end of another grueling level of his game, after which, he was confident, he would _finally_ be at the final level – and he hadn't even needed to save his progress once – when his PDA gave an unexpected, violent vibrate, startling the Slifer so much he dropped the thing. Skidding across the floor and under the table; Jaden bent down frantically to find it, in the hopes of salvaging his ship from the attacking aliens before they devoured his last life, only to find the words GAME OVER flashing across the screen when he finally reached the thing.

"Ah, _man_," he scowled. "Now I have to do it all over again…"

Sulking, he sat back down on his chair and glared at the screen, wondering what could have made his PDA vibrate like that, when his eyes caught sight of the tiny yellow envelope in the corner – he had a message.

Figuring his way out of the game and to his Inbox, Jaden opened the file, turning the screen black. Momentarily panicking, thinking he'd done something wrong, Jaden was about to press another button, when a deep, scratchy voice started speaking, _"We have Syrus. Come to the girls' dorm right away if you don't want him expelled. Come alone."_

"…Say, what-now?" Jaden stared at the device in his hand, the screen returning to his Inbox. Puzzled, he opened the message and listened to it again. "Syrus? They don't have Syrus – whoever 'they' are," he laughed, turning around in his chair. "Right, Sy – they don't have…" but Syrus's bed was still made, and the blue-haired boy was nowhere in sight. "…you? Wait a second!" Jaden jumped up and started pacing. "Syrus went to the bathroom – to shower, he said – yeah, that's right. That was barely a minute ago, right? So—" he looked back at his PDA, exiting to the main screen to check the time – 23:33.

"What the heck?!" Jaden gasped. "I've been playing that stupid game for _hours_! And in the meantime…my friend's gotten himself kidnapped by a creepy-sounding _guy_ voice that wants me to go to the _girls'_ dorm?! This is insane!"

"Jaden!"

Jaden jumped at being so unexpectedly yelled at, and spun round to face the bunk beds. Chumley had woken up, and was propped up on one elbow, glowering down at Jaden. "You know, I liked it a lot better when I had the room all to myself. Maybe Professor Banner wouldn't mind moving you two – if you're going to make such a racket all night!"

"Sorry, Chum," Jaden apologized quickly, and sprinted for the door. "But Sy's in trouble!" he was out the door, practically slamming it shut, in seconds, and halfway down the steps when he thought of Cori – maybe she'd want to know?

_Come alone_.

Probably creepy-voice-guy wouldn't appreciate an accomplice, though. Jaden snuck the rest of the way down the stairs, and started running as quietly as he could away from the dorm, glancing back once for no apparent reason – but he glimpsed sight of Cori's room, a faint light framing the door; probably she was still doing homework. His own room's light was off, though he couldn't recall having switched it off before he'd left.

_Apparently Chumley does get up for_ some _things._

* * *

It was some time after eleven. Despite his work hours officially ending at nine, Logan Swain was used to staying behind and doing other odd jobs for those fools still hanging around when they – like him – could already have been in comfortable beds at home, getting in eight hours of sleep instead of six. But everyone knew that for the workers no one saw and no one knew work carried on sometimes after midnight at Kaiba Corp. Even the CEO himself was working late most of the time.

Logan had to ignore the thought that had jumped into his mind – what did Seto's wife, Kisara, think of his nocturnal hours? – as he took the lift up to his boss's office. Kaiba had called him in for some reason or other. But just because he worked for the man, Logan didn't have to like him. Often he did tiny things to annoy the boss, just to see him react – which Kaiba, by now, to Logan's mild annoyance, never did. Logan still took every other chance he got to get under Kaiba's skin, though, knowing Kaiba would never fire him, no matter what he did – because he owed Catherine this much. And, because Logan was good at what he did, and Kaiba knew he wouldn't find a replacement of the same standard as the blue-haired teen.

Logan entered Kaiba's office without knocking, and found his boss by the window, like so many nights before. "You called?" Logan said, closing the door and taking several paces forward into the spacious area. Kaiba sighed heavily, and Logan had the distinct feeling they'd be having a heated discussion in a moment.

"Your sister…" Kaiba began, after a brief pause. He spoke quietly; precise. Logan stiffened at the chosen topic – Logan knew, and Kaiba knew Logan knew, of course, but even so the man had never brought it up. Logan mentally revised his reaction – he shouldn't be so surprised, it was bound to come up some time, especially _now_. And rather sooner than later, he figured.

"I've been thinking about it…long and hard, _Swain_," Seto continued, and Logan narrowed his eyes a bit at the man's back, pensive. _Thinking about what?_ "And I've realized now – the 'missing' files, the flat tyre, the shortage of gas when that didn't work, the detour when _that_ didn't work," Kaiba sounded agitated, to say the least, struggling to keep his voice entirely composed. No wonder he had his back to Logan. The blue-haired kid crossed his arms, steeling himself to deny whatever he could, if he wanted. "…was all a ploy to make me as late as possible to the Entrance Examinations…am I right, Logan?"

Kaiba turned, but Logan wasn't about to answer. The CEO had a dark look in his eyes, but Logan tried not to be fazed by it – after all, it wasn't the first time he'd seen that expression on Seto's face. The image had haunted his dreams many a night since he was a kid. For the longest time Logan couldn't comprehend where that picture had come from, until he eventually saw that face again. And then he slowly put the pieces together.

"You were stalling me. Because you didn't want to me to see your sister's duel."

It didn't sound a question, though Logan knew that wouldn't mean Kaiba didn't want an answer. Yet Logan held his tongue, raising his chin slightly in defiance.

Kaiba scowled, stomping closer to the desk and slamming his fist down like that would make a difference, "Answer me, dammit!"

"Yes," Logan snapped shortly.

Kaiba straightened, watching Logan almost dangerously, "You try my patience, Logan. Every day."

"Noted. Can I go now?"

Kaiba scowled, turning back to the window, but Logan knew that wasn't a dismissal. He'd made the mistake of thinking it before. So he stood his ground, giving the CEO some time to wrap his head around whatever else he wanted to say before he got to it. When he spoke, it was only one word come out of his mouth, "_Why?_"

"You know why," Logan replied, and added before he got snapped at again, "You're not supposed to see her, that was the agreement."

"So if I happen to be in the same place I'm just supposed to avert my eyes? Or leave?"

Logan rolled his eyes, annoyed with Seto's tone – he sounded more than simply aggravated; he sounded almost _hurt_. "Come on, Kaiba, it's over – don't dwell on this."

"How can I not?" he said it so quietly, Logan wasn't sure he'd heard him right – or at all, maybe he'd imagined it. Then there was a moment's silence again, and Kaiba turned back to his desk, taking hold of the top of his chair like he meant to sit down any second. But he didn't, instead he spoke to the table, "She's a Slifer. I thought you'd like to know."

Logan scowled a moment at nothing in particular – of course she was a Slifer, what with that ridiculous deck of hers. And then another thought came to mind, "You're not planning on doing something about that, are you?" he accused, uncrossing his arms.

Kaiba's pause held too long for Logan's liking, but finally he shook his head, "No."

"Good. Anything else?" Logan barked impatiently, in no mood to stay on this topic any longer than was necessary.

"Our flight leaves in the morning," Kaiba said, only now looking up at the kid. "I'm leaving you in charge of settling those two in."

"What?" Logan snapped before he could stop himself. This was short notice. "Wouldn't you rather do it yourself?"

"No."

"I'm just an assistant – I'm not quite capable of handling those two—"

"I trust you," Kaiba said shortly, cutting Logan off with his mouth agape –_trust me?_ "Now go home. Get some rest."

Logan snorted, "_Some_," he scowled. "Right."

He turned round, still a little baffled, but paused when he'd reached the door and was halfway out the office; Kaiba was speaking again, "There will come a time, Logan, when I _will_ see her. And no amount of detours will stop me then."

Logan didn't turn back to face his boss, but glowered at the opposite wall instead, before he calmly – as calmly as he could – exited the room and tried not to slam the door shut on his way out.


	6. Bribed

Bribed

* * *

"Duel!" Jaden and Alexis cried at the same time, bringing their match to a start.

This was no dream – not _this_ time, Alexis thought.

She'd been lounging in the wading pool with Jasmine and Mindy for nearly an hour and a half before the pair _finally_ agreed getting some rest was a good idea. They'd dried themselves off and were sneaking across the hall, and through the dorm's spacious foyer, on their way to the stairs, when there was a loud noise from outside – like someone fell down and hit something on their way to meet the ground.

Mindy and Jasmine had stopped mid-stride, grabbing hold of each other in fright with a fear-filled whisper of _"What was that?!"_ leaving Alexis a pace away and feeling quite alone in the darkness. There was some moaning from beyond the French doors, which led out to a porch running round one side of the dorm all the way to the wading pool, and Alexis wondered if whatever was out there had been following them all this time. Then she shook her head, deciding she was being silly – this was an _island_, no stowaway could have slipped past Dr. Crowler's vigilant eye and there were certainly no wild monsters at a _school_. There were, however, nosy boys in a dorm just beyond the lake.

Face screwed up in a scowl, Alexis had marched over to the doors, dragging a reluctant Jasmine and Mindy by the arms along with her, after which she'd ordered them in a whisper to pick the locks on the doors. Though Alexis had asked them once before where they'd learned this particular skill, both girls had replied in unison that some things Alexis shouldn't know if she wanted to stay out of any more trouble they'd be in if they were to get caught at whatever devious scheme they were up to at the time. Alexis had taken their advice. Despite not wanting to at first, Jasmine and Mindy quickly got to work with a pair of hairpins, unlocking the doors, after they'd heard another noise – this time a familiar voice, clear as a bell, saying rather nervously, "Alexis?"

When Alexis had pulled open the doors, they'd found Jaden's little friend, Syrus, sitting in a heap beside a broken pot, grinning sheepishly at them – or, Alexis had to amend, at _her_.

Syrus's presence was explained by a note, written in an untidy scrawl, which declared her – "Alecksis" – love to the boy – _"Jaden"_.

"So I can't even get a fake love letter?" Syrus had wailed upon seeing his friend's name written – illegibly, to Syrus's credit – in the top right corner of the note.

"I'm sorry, Syrus," Alexis had apologized, frowning at the letter in disgust, and giving Syrus a sympathetic gaze. Even though the boy had broken the rules by coming to the _girls'_ dorm, he had done it for misguided love, which, she had to admit, was probably a little flattering. Thus Alexis was ready to send him back to his own dorm, no harm done – not to mention she didn't want the kid's big brother to catch wind of this embarrassing tale on top of that morning's as well.

Mindy and Jasmine agreed reluctantly, but another idea struck Alexis before they could go through with the original – if the letter was meant for Jaden, and she hadn't sent it, then clearly it was someone who wanted _Jaden_ expelled by getting him caught at the girls' dorm. Though she didn't want Jaden expelled, the excuse was probably enough to get him to agree to duel – an all-out, no-holding-back kind of duel. Any other time Jaden might go easy one her just because she's a girl.

But if his stay at the Academy was in jeopardy, Alexis was willing to bet Jaden would do anything to try and win.

Thus, before Syrus knew what had happened, the three girls had him tied at the wrists and were marching him along the porch toward the end where it met the edge of the lake. They'd sent Jaden a message; their voices disguised through some program on the PDA, and were waiting patiently for the Slifer to arrive.

Syrus felt like an idiot. He should have known that wasn't Alexis's handwriting – and truth be told, the thought might have crossed his mind some time during the day, only to be quickly erased by another: she was probably just shy about writing it herself and had asked one of her friends.

But no, she hadn't written it at all, and it wasn't even for Syrus – it was for Jaden. The only friend he'd made at the Academy and Syrus was already slumped in the boy's shadow now, as well – in dueling, and apparently in dating, too. Even if it was a fake letter, Alexis was smiling at the thought of Jaden's arrival. Syrus had thought if he dated an Obelisk – and _Alexis_, no less – the school at large would stop bullying him, or teasing him, or making snide remarks in his direction.

Now it seemed he wouldn't have to worry about any of that come morning, anyway – he wouldn't be around anymore to be bullied or teased, not unless Jaden could beat Alexis.

Syrus's friend had come rowing up to the porch, faintly out of breath, and looking a little perplexed at the sight of them. "What's going on, guys?" he'd asked.

Alexis's red-haired friend, Jasmine, had lifted an enquiring eyebrow, "_Guys?_"

"Err – girls…?" Jaden amended with a half-hearted smile, before Alexis cut in to answer his question, "What's going on, Jaden, is that we caught Syrus sneaking around the dorm. The _girls'_ dorm – no boys allowed."

"Trespasser," the dark-haired Mindy had clarified, patting Syrus sympathetically on the top of his head, and Jaden looked over at his friend, "Ah, Sy…"

"And you know what else, Jaden," Alexis had continued, drawing the Slifer's attention back to her. "Now that you're here, you're trespassing, too. You know what that means, right?"

"By your tone, I'm guessing it's not a slumber party…"

"Expulsion."

Jaden gulped, "Is there any way we can avoid that?"

"I'd thought you'd never ask."

Jaden grinned, "So, let's get our game on, Alexis!"

"You read my mind," Alexis said.

They'd taken a couple of row-boats out onto the lake, Alexis and her two friends in one, opposite Jaden and Syrus – who was no longer tied – in the other.

Jaden couldn't help grinning – since meeting Alexis he'd had it in the back of his mind, much like he'd thought about Cori since watching her duel in the park back home, that it would be exciting to find out how he stacked-up against the fiery Obelisk girl. Of course, when he said 'exciting', he hadn't exactly meant _this_.

"You wouldn't mind my starting, would you?" Alexis said from across the way, and Jaden shrugged, drawing his first five cards.

"Ladies first."

"Then I'll start us off with Etoile Cyber in Attack Mode!" Alexis said, and her monster appeared on the field. Jaden hid a smile – you could tell a lot about a duelist from their choice of cards, and Alexis's had, for one thing, _style_. And 1200 attack points, for another. He glanced at his hand a moment – he could beat that. "One facedown card. Your turn."

Jaden drew a card, and set it aside in favor of another, "Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode (1600 atk)! Take down her Etoile Cyber!"

Sparkman, dressed all in blue and yellow, raised one hand, sending a bolt of bright blue-white lightning at Alexis's monster, but the Obelisk did something then that Jaden hadn't been expecting at all, "Doble Passé!"

"What?!" Sparkman's bolt split into waves of lightning, bypassing Etoile Cyber and going straight for Alexis. The girl let out a stressed cry, arms raised in front of her face, but she held her ground despite the boat rocking slightly, her friends clinging to the sides of it. Alexis's Life Points dropped down to 2400, but when Sparkman's attack was over, she was smiling. Alexis explained, "Now, Jaden, the monster you were about to attack, gets to take a swing at _your_ Life Points directly." Alexis's Etoile Cyber skidded across the surface of the lake like she was dancing. "Oh, and when Etoile Cyber attacks an opponent directly she gains 600 points."

"Oh, boy," Jaden muttered, watching the graceful creature bypass his Sparkman and close in for her attack. "Ah!" his Life Points sunk with 2200, and Jaden found himself a little breathless as Alexis's monster returned to her side of the watery field. The Trap card she'd just played was sent to the Grave. "Not bad, Alexis," he had to compliment. "You sure are something else…" _Sacrificing your own Life Points just to get at mine…_

"Impressed yet?" Alexis was saying now, smirking at him.

"Impressed?" Jaden repeated with a chuckle, "I think I'm in love."

"You're cute," Alexis said sweetly, teasing, Jaden thought, though he also thought there had been a brief pause and a falter to that smile of hers before she'd replied. "Too bad I have to crush you."

"Heh, you can try, Alexis. You can try," Jaden said, still feeling confident despite the dent in his Life Points – after all, they were nearly even.

"Oh no, Jaden, I'll do much more than try," she was confident too. Jaden grinned. "Blade Skater to the field (1400 atk)," her monster was a light shade of purple shimmering in the moonlight where it skid across the water, rounding Alexis's boat once before it came to a halt beside Etoile Cyber. "And now Polymerization will fuse my two monsters," Alexis said, sliding the card into its slot on her duel disk, "Creating Cyber Blader in Attack Mode (2100 atk)!"

"You haven't got a Trap card or something Jay?" Syrus mumbled feebly at Jaden's feet, and the brown-haired kid had to glance at his duel disk and his field just to make sure, "Sorry, no…guess you'll have to go, Sparkman…"

"So he does," Alexis had heard. "Cyber Blader – attack!"

Sparkman took the hit, Syrus moaning quietly in despair behind Jaden, whose Life Points were now down to 1700.

"Almost there," Alexis smiled. "Go ahead, Jaden, show me what you've got."

"Don't mind if I do!" Jaden said, drawing a card, "Sweetness – Fusion Gate!" With the Field-Spell in play, clouds seemed to cover the night sky. Jaden had all but forgotten it was the middle of the night, what with the dorm's porch lights shining so bright, illuminating their improvised field, not to mention how bright the moon was this night. For a moment Jaden wondered if he'd not rather be in his warm bed – even though the mattress was a little lumpy – wrapped in a blanket and fast asleep. But then, absently, he shook his head – no, this was a lot better than sleeping. He'd much rather be dueling for real than dreaming about it, after all. "Let me introduce a monster you've seen before, Alexis – I send Burstinatrix and Avian to the Graveyard, to summon instead, The Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

Jaden had to admit, he simply adored this card – it was thanks to this one he'd made his first handful of friends, years ago, when he'd thought he'd never make another friend in his life. But that was all over now – he wouldn't even think on it.

"Alas, they have the same attack points," Alexis was saying.

He had friends back home who were waiting for him to come back with stories about the Academy. More importantly even than that – he had friends _here_ who enjoyed his stories, even if they were just about yesterday. Friends who liked him for who he was, even if that meant falling into step beside him when he ran everywhere, or listening to him talk with his mouth full of breakfast and ketchup, and not berating him for staining his clothes the way matrons and teachers did. They were a second family.

"I'm aware," Jaden replied. "But it won't matter, when I activate this: Kishido Spirit! Now my Wingman won't be destroyed when it attacks a monster with equal points."

And there was no way he was getting expelled and leaving them behind when they'd just gotten to know each other.

"Way to play, Jay!" Syrus cheered from behind him. "Her monster's attack points will still come out of her Life Points!"

Granted, she'd still have 300 points left, but no more monster – leaving Jaden to finish her off next turn, easy.

Alexis's smile had faltered, as Jaden called for his Wingman to attack, but he noticed her grin come right back as Cyber Blader moved forward to defend. Wingman, a blaze of red, met Alexis's Cyber Blader halfway across the field, one attack slamming into the other, but after a seemingly fierce, but confused, struggle, the two monsters bounced back from each other, each one returning to their own side – no damage done.

Jaden stared, Syrus behind him just as perplexed, "What happened…?"

"You see, Jaden," Alexis explained, sounding plainly smug. "My Cyber Blader can't be destroyed in battle."

"Heh…" Jaden rubbed his cheek. "Who would've thought – you sure got me there, Alexis."

"Oh, when I _get_ you Jaden," Alexis said, and taking Jaden's turn as done, she drew her next card. "…you'll know it. Like right now, for example – I activate Fusion Weapon and equip it to my Cyber Blader."

Jaden twitched, watching Alexis's Cyber Blader raise one hand for the large, red weapon, somewhat resembling a dragon's head attached to her arm, to form. As it did, Cyber Blader's attack points skipped up to 3600, and Jaden swallowed hard. "Hold on, Sy," he advised in a quiet, strained tone, trying to do some math and figure out what his LP would be after her Blader attacked – only, he'd not yet finished figuring out the difference between their monsters when Alexis had already called for the attack, and Jaden's Wingman was blasted to bits. Math forgotten, and pointless now besides, Jaden dropped down to one knee in a gasp of breath and a quiet screech.

"You're Life Points are looking rather low," Alexis commented from across the way.

_200 points…_ Jaden spared his duel disk a glance.

"I hope you haven't unpacked just yet."

Jaden smirked, pushing himself to his feet, "You know, actually, I have. Know what else? I'm not in any mood to repack just yet, Alexis – I'm not about to lose this!"

"But Jay!" Syrus, ever optimistic, squeaked from behind Jaden. "You don't have any monsters – and hers is way more stronger!"

Jaden rubbed his cheek. "I'm probably no good at English, Sy – like, as a subject – but I am pretty sure 'way more stronger' is not really a phrase…"

"_Jaden!_" Syrus scolded, making his friend laugh.

"_Syrus_," Jaden chided, looking back at the blue-haired boy, who was wringing his hands together. Mentally crushed under the weight of all the tormenting he'd gone through on his first official day, and now the fate of his stay depending on a duel his new friend was clearly losing, not to mention the enormous pair of shoes he was too small to fill, just leering at him from a corner of his mind, now laughing hysterically that he'd never get the chance to grow into them after tonight, Syrus couldn't help but be left feeling worried and deflated. "Don't worry – I may not have any monsters right now, but I do still have a turn. I'm not going home, Sy – and I'm not staying without you, either. I'll win this for both of us." Syrus watched Jaden turn back to the duel, the last expression on his face one of utter determination. "I promise."

_Don't make promises you can't keep, Jaden._

* * *

As the elevator doors swung open he dug one hand into his pants pocket, fishing through bits of crumpled paper and toffee wrappers for his car keys, only to have his fingers come up empty, remembering they were in a side pocket on his case. Sighing, annoyed still at his previous conversation with the boss, he stepped off the lift, started crossing the empty underground parking lot towards his lonely car while he fetched his keys. They dropped with a short jingle as his fingers twitched and he came to a halt, the sound of her loud, chirpy voice startling him to a stop.

"_Loooooo!_" she sang, appearing in front of him as though out of nowhere, scooping up his keys from the floor and swinging them in front of his face before he'd so much as gotten a decent look at her. "You dropped this," she grinned.

He scowled, and made to snatch the keys from her apparently loose hold on them, but he wasn't fast enough. She swung her arm back, away from his reach, and turned on her heel, marching to the beat of her own drum all in one fell swoop, leaving him standing there stupidly with his hand hanging in the air, mouth open slightly like he'd meant to say something, and the sound of his singing keys in his ears as she twirled the keychain round her finger.

He sighed heavily, rolled his eyes, and stalked slowly after her.

"_So!_" she exclaimed happily, keeping a safe three feet ahead of him on the way to his car. "How's your day been?"

"Better. What are you doing down here, Saki?"

She turned back to him, settling her hands behind her head as she wandered backwards, fixing him with a toothy grin, "Annoying the hell out of you. Is it working?"

"Exquisitely," he replied dryly. "Kaiba had you running errands all day long?" she only ever poked at him when she hadn't had the opportunity to mess up Kaiba's day in one way or another, and see the CEO's face when he found out.

Saki sighed, letting her hands fall to her sides, shoulders slumped. "It was _terrible!_ What he needs all those boring things for I will never know," she waved her hand through the air, his keys chiming.

"I hear you're going home in the morning."

"_Finally_," she said, and then flashed him another grin. "Will you miss me?"

"Terribly."

"Awe, Lo, you say such _nice_ things," she mocked, making him smile.

"Don't I just?" he stopped, resting his free hand on the back of his car, leaning slightly against the vehicle. Saki stopped, too, still twirling his ring of keys round her finger, with seemingly no intention of handing it back. She settled her other hand on her hip, narrowing her blue eyes at him, pursing her lips.

His smile had faded, a pensive expression crossing his face.

Saki took a moment to be uncharacteristically patient; granting him his silence, probably spent trying to figure out how to phrase whatever was running through his mind, but her irritation won out, and the redhead finally snapped, "Well spit it out!"

"You want to go to the Academy, don't you?"

Saki's eyes widened briefly, before she swallowed her surprise – of course she wanted to go, he knew that full well. He also knew why she hadn't gone. He also knew how little she wanted to talk about it even if Saki had never mentioned the fact – she wouldn't, she was far too stubborn to admit it bothered her, and annoyed her, and made her dislike Kaiba even more. She could admit to disliking him for any other reason – she could get back at him for all the other reasons, but she couldn't get back at him for _this_, other than pretending it was no big deal. But Lo knew that, and she didn't need to tell him for him to know it, and he didn't need to say for her to know he knew… So what was this then? What was the point of bringing it up?

Saki didn't reply. She could pretend patience if she had to – he'd explain it in another second. Sometimes it was best not to rush him, after all.

"What if I said I could get you in?"

She stared. It was unexpectedly quiet, the clink of keys crashing into one another suddenly ended. "I'd quit calling you 'Lo' for as long as I live."

He chuckled, almost startling her, and stepped closer, away from the car, "Call me 'Lo' all you like," he said sweetly, stealing his keys from her finger and striding to the front door of the vehicle before she could blink, saying as he went, "I'm growing fond of it."

"Wait!" she snapped, following him just as he'd pressed the button on his key and was opening the door. "Don't leave me hanging – how do you mean—"

One foot inside the car, his briefcase tossed onto the passenger seat and he turned about to look at her, "Let's just say," he cut her off, that mysterious, devilish glint in his dark eyes that she'd only glimpsed before when he was plotting something devious. "It's a matter of _leverage_."

"You have something on Seto?" she said, her voice barely a whisper of surprise. _What_, in the name of Ra, could he _possibly_ have on Seto Kaiba?! Saki had combed the man's hard drive, his personal briefcase, his office cabinets, in secret, file by boring file, looking for the tiniest speck of dirt on his obnoxiously clean record, never finding even so much as the e-mail address of an old flame to cause suspicion with or use as blackmail, and now Lo was telling her he had something so big it would get Saki into Duel Academy?! There wasn't even any hint of a 'maybe'; he sounded too confident for there to be.

He smiled once more, getting into the car and shutting the door.

"Hey!" she scowled, glaring at him through the window. "Tell me what it is!"

He laughed, rolling down the window, "Like you really think I would."

"_Logan_," she said, clenching her fists, not sure to herself whether she sounded angry at him, or like she were pleading with him. "Come on – don't tell me _that_ and then not share what you're planning."

"I can't share, Saki," he replied, all seriousness now, and stuck his key in the ignition, turned it. "But I promise it'll work – there's no way it can't. Not when I have something he really, really wants."

Saki screwed up her face, thoughtful, and eyed him carefully. He raised an eyebrow.

"You realize you have me in much the same position," she stated.

He grinned, saying easily, "Yes."

"What do you want?"

He gave a short laugh, "Don't worry too much about that right now. Just be good and patient," slowly, his car started pulling out of its parking space. "And know when the time comes, I expect you to do me a favor."

"Like what kind of favor?" she asked impatiently, taking a few steps to stay next to his window. "Not to mention, when do I get my part of the deal?"

"Like any kind of favor I fancy," he said simply, waving a hand at her. "Next year – how's that?"

She couldn't help the smile curling round her lips – Duel Academy, _finally_.

"Have a safe trip, Saki," he said then, his car turning smoothly, before it sped down the parking lot a second later, and round a corner, heading up and out of sight. Saki stood, staring after it, frowning now. _You have too many tricks up your sleeve, Logan Swain. And you ask too many favors in general, expecting them to be done without giving anything in return…_

"So what's so important you have to bribe me to get it?"

* * *

_I hope that's a promise I can actually keep._ Jaden thought desperately, and then slipped the topmost card from his deck, turning it over to see what he'd drawn – he grinned.

"If this works—" he started, but didn't finish the thought, saying instead, "I summon the Elemental Hero Clayman in Attack Mode!"

Large and round, and a murky brown color, Clayman appeared on Jaden's side of the field, donned in a dismal 800 points. Jaden watched Alexis's face and could have sworn he'd seen her raise an eyebrow skeptically. Behind him Syrus was probably wondering the same thing –_What had he been thinking summoning a monster with so few points? How did he plan on winning?_ Anyway, that was probably what Jaden might have thought if he were watching anyone else dueling. But then, none of them had a peek at his hand. "Now I play Monster Reborn, returning Sparkman from the Grave," as per request, the tall creature, tiny sparks emitting from its blue body as it materialized, came to be beside its short, wide and brown comrade.

"You set up two weak monsters against my one strong Cyber Blader? Losing your touch, Jaden?" Alexis said, but Jaden was pretty sure he wasn't imagining the almost cautious, almost curious tone in her voice. She'd seen him duel before after all, and he was about to do the same thing he'd done in every one of those previous battles – pull a rabbit from the hat.

Grinning, he said thus, "Not for long – you remember my Fusion Gate, don't you? My last fusion monster was one you knew, now allow me to introduce one you haven't seen yet – I fuse The Elemental Hero Clayman with the Elemental Hero Sparkman, to create—" Sparkman and Clayman seemed to melt into a mixture of blue and golden-brown in the space between them, as the clouds overhead – an illusion created by the Field Spell – appeared to suck them up, shooting arcs of lightning from the center of the swirling, morphing air, towards clouds still farther ahead, or the now unsteady waves below. Where the forks of lighting hit the water, electricity seemed to scatter across the surface of the clear liquid for a few seconds, looking like tree roots entwined.

Jaden, and across the water Alexis as well, had dropped down to one knee so as to hold onto their rickety rowboats, floating unsteadily within the sudden storm.

But it didn't last long even if it felt like it, because before he had time to panic – like maybe something was wrong with the duel disk's holographic imagery – Jaden saw the enormous, sunflower-yellow body of his newly formed monster drop down from the raging clouds above. Thunder rumbled overhead, and the water pulsed from beneath the creature's feet where it hovered on the field, in steady circular waves, broken by the obstacle of rowboats.

"Thunder Giant!" Jaden exclaimed, grinning triumphantly as he jumped to his feet. Abruptly everything had gone quiet – the raging waves, the thunderous roar, the piercing lightning; all of it.

Alexis got to her feet, and the silence stretched for a few seconds more before she finally spoke, "Only 2400 attack points? Admittedly not what I expected after such an entrance," she sounded almost disappointed to Jaden's ear, making him smile even more.

"Honestly, I had no idea it was going to do that either!" Jaden said, truly amazed at Fusion Gate's effect. "But if you're unimpressed by my monster, Alexis," he continued seriously. "Maybe his special ability will make up for it. See, when Thunder Giant is summoned he can destroy any monster with original attack points less than his own."

Alexis's gasp was clearly audible, "_Original_?"

She'd scarcely had time to get over the shock, or Cyber Blader was shattered to pieces and Jaden had passed down judgment with his Giant's electrifying fist, draining her of the rest of her Life Points.

Dropping down to one knee after the attack, the blonde Obelisk couldn't quite contain her smile even though she had lost. Jasmine and Mindy's perplexed stutters behind her hardly reached her ears, drowned out by the cheering boys across the lake.

_I guess even if I'd won, I wouldn't have been able to turn them in. Not after a duel like that anyway – Jaden gave it his all. He really does deserve to be here, no luck about it._

"That's game, Alexis!" he called to her, snapping her from her thoughts, and Alexis stood up.

"You might want to take that rowboat and start paddling back to the Slifer dorm, Jaden," she said with a wicked grin, "Before I change my mind."

"You wouldn't dare!" he challenged with a laugh.

"Want to try me?"

Jaden didn't even take a second to think about it, "No," he squeaked, flopping down into the boat and grabbing an oar, all the while hurrying Syrus to do the same. Alexis had to laugh.

* * *

**Saki belongs to my good friend Sakairi-chan on DeviantArt :)**

**I thank her for letting me use her creation, and hope it is to her liking XD**

**Also, as a heads-up, Chapter 6 won't be posted until, at the earliest, the 23rd... But thanks a lot for reading so far! I'd love to know what you all think, so feel free to review if you want. :)**


	7. Memories

Memories

* * *

Vibrating against the desktop, setting off a shrill ringing that reverberated off the walls, Syrus's PDA tried in vain to wake a peaceful Jaden. The Slifer's friend had tried nearly just as desperately; shaking the brown haired boy by his shoulders, smacking his head with a pair of pillows one after the other, and pulling off the sheets, to no avail. Jaden stayed fast asleep.

Though Syrus's PDA had woken _him_ up effortlessly, and with a great start and several skipped heart-beats, it had made little difference to Jaden's state, apart from his sleepy insistence that he didn't do it, that he'd gotten the card as a gift, and would someone please cut the sirens because he was innocent.

Syrus had had no idea what his friend was on about except that he was talking in his sleep and refusing profoundly to wake up. Hoping the PDA's alarm would make _some_ kind of difference, eventually, Syrus had set it to go off every ten minutes from then until eternity if need be, and had left it on the table where it would make a louder noise once it went off. Then he'd left, already feeling his legs turn to jelly and his pounding heart beating only faster, both in fear of being later than he already thought he was, and also for what awaited once he'd reach the main building. Sprinting down the slope, away from their yellow dorm, Syrus recited every sentence he could remember on Duel Theory, trying hard not to confuse it with Card Theory, while trying even harder not to worry about the actual duel that came after the written test.

Test. Just hearing the word – just _thinking_ it – tied his stomach in a knot. What had they all been doing the past four weeks that had made time pass so fast? Syrus couldn't remember – there were those duels against Chazz on the first day, Alexis on the second…or was it the third? And every day after he'd tried not getting severely mocked or getting into trouble in class, which was hard because he was already dubbed the stuttering wimp, and whenever he had to speak in whichever class, some Obelisk or Ra would stutter "B-b-b-but I d-d-don't know" or some such something behind his back, for one, and for the other – he was Jaden's friend now, which seemed to be synonymous with 'trouble'.

Only Cori seemed sturdy enough not to be sucked into Jaden's black hole of trouble. Syrus had no Mystical Space Typhoon with which to counter – besides which, he wasn't sure if the Spell card was of the correct level to be able to counter a Black Hole. He couldn't remember. He could ask Cori – maybe it would be in the test and he would like to have at least one thing right, and she would certainly know.

After a week's detention with Dr. Crowler for being late for class, she'd rolled up her sleeves and pulled up her socks – figuratively speaking about the latter, probably – and was determined not to receive detention again, for one thing, and to finish her homework on time, for another. For every other subject they had a day's reprieve before having to hand in any homework, which technically gave them a day and a half to finish, and Syrus's blue-haired friend had spent her time wisely, whilst he and Jaden had, meanwhile, royally slacked off.

Syrus could kick himself – but his legs were probably too short and clumsy to manage any such feat. But then, it wasn't altogether his fault alone – it was probably genetics. The whole Truesdale family, generation after generation, was guilty of an insatiable desire for adventure, exploration, discovery, bravery, success and recognition. The thirst for all of which had run dry with him, leaving him with nothing but cowardice and fear – of admitting it, especially, which was mainly why he went along with whatever ideas Jaden had planned for the day. Thus, for the first week, in Cornelia's absence, the pair had spent hours roaming the island around the dorm – down the cliffs by the waterside, watching the ocean break against the rocks; across the bridge to the pier and back for some exercise before a nice, meant to be short, nap, and then homework – _after_ dinner. It never seemed to get completely done, even with Cori staying up late to help them.

They'd gotten two weeks' notice about the test – as far as _they_ were paying attention anyway. Apparently there would be one on the month's work – and every previous month's as well – on the last Friday of every month, and every second test would be opportunity for a promotion to a higher dorm, if rank permitted. Syrus's rank, stated in the top right-hand corner of his PDA's main screen, read "Drop-out Boy". He'd been ignoring it since he'd discovered it, knowing it would only depress him more if he kept thinking about it. He had too many things on his mind to begin with, and the past two weeks had only increased the load, adding a bundle of stressed-out nerves to the pile of stressed-out nerves he usually walked around with, in light and anxiety of the coming test.

The first week after hearing about the test was mainly spent following Jaden around, and trying really hard to keep up with homework, when he wasn't missing home – which he'd been doing almost since arriving at the Academy, and the longer he was away, the more he wondered whether it had been a good idea to join the Academy in the first place. It felt better over the weekend, when Cori sat them down to help with the week's work and Syrus felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders on Sunday mornings – only to return and grow after Monday, which made him feel like he was living for waking up on Sundays. Right now he longed for the day after tomorrow. He'd been meaning to spend the whole week studying, but of course that never happened, and he'd ended up cramming on Thursday, and through most of the night, making him tired and annoyed; mostly with himself. Thus he felt bad when Cori, running three paces ahead, glanced over her shoulder at some point, calling for him to hurry, and he snapped, "I know, I know – I'm coming already!"

As karma would have it, he promptly tripped over his own feet – the words barely off his tongue – and landed face first in the dirt, hurting his nose and probably breaking his glasses.

He could hear Cori had stopped running, was walking back to him. He'd have gotten to his feet, or looked up, at least – but really, what was the point?

"Sy…?" she asked, quietly, hesitantly, and he felt her hand on his shoulder.

He mumbled something incoherent which could really have been anything. She sighed. "Scared about the test?"

The test, Jaden still sleeping, being late, dueling, his brother, life in general, spiders, Chazz, the Obelisks in general, Dr. Crowler, his mother's psychopathic cockatoo—

"I'm not scared!" he whimpered, head snapping up, his glasses askew so he saw half of Cori's face before him in a blur. She was kneeling in front of him, her white pants picking up dirt at the knees. His lip quivered. He couldn't look her in the eye. "I'm terrified…"

"You do remember the part about it being a monkey puzzle, right?" she asked, half a sympathetic smile in her voice, and Syrus scowled at the ground – that made no difference to his anxiety. A test was a test, and that a monkey could do it and he couldn't only made it worse.

He felt her fingers brush against the bridge of his nose and his vision go fuzzy – she'd taken off his glasses, was wiping them clean with the cuffs of her jacket. He swallowed, feeling a little hot around the ears. So to distract himself he pushed off the ground and sat properly, flat on his butt with his legs crossed, and kept his eyes on the ground until his vision returned – she'd settled his spectacles back on his nose. They weren't broken at least, what a miracle.

"Take a breath," she told him, poking his shoulder. He glanced at her, saw her smile, and obeyed, breathing in deeply. He held it, distracted again as he caught her eye – she had pretty eyes, kind of blue and kind of green at the same time, but not exactly a mixture of the two. "Now let it out," she said, almost laughing, and poked him a few more times. He did, feeling his cheeks rise half a degree.

"Feel better?"

He nodded stiffly.

She wasn't making a move to get up though, and Syrus could feel her eyes on his face even though he'd stopped looking at her. It made him decidedly self-conscious, and then more so because he knew he was blushing because of it. When he couldn't take it anymore he said, "_What?_" looking up to find her with her mouth open, like she'd wanted to say something. He'd cut her off. "Sorry."

She shook her head, "You know…we _do_ still have time before the test. I know technically we're supposed to be there half an hour early, but they can't really lock us out…I think," she added quietly. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

He considered…considering this proposal, but along with his fear and cowardice he had in fact inherited one Truesdale trait that resided in every one of them – pride. So he shook his head, sniffed, and adjusted his glasses, "…Let's just get to class?"

She stood with a nod, and Syrus got to his feet as well, following her lead in dusting off dirty knees. Then he saw her grinning at him, "Race you there?"

He smiled slightly as well, "Of course – how else would we get anywhere?"

She gave a short laugh, and sprinted off at once, but Syrus stood staring after her for half a second before he followed. What with her spending more time doing homework than him and Jaden combined, instead of hanging out with the pair of them – and sometimes a very reluctant Chumley who was only part of the conversation because he was in the room and it seemed impolite to leave him out – there was little opportunity for Syrus and Jaden to really get to _know_ Cori.

It had only been a month, but Syrus already felt like he could write a book about Jaden and all the things he'd come to know about his friend. He could even write a short essay on Chumley, which was saying a lot, since the older boy never seemed to exit the room – or at least, was never _seen_ to. He'd been absent this very morning when Syrus's PDA had gone off, and on occasion Syrus and Jaden had returned from class to find the room empty and Chumley nowhere else to be found. It had bothered them until they'd eventually questioned the dark-haired Slifer about it, who snapped at them to mind their own business and then, albeit rudely, accepted a cup of tea from Syrus and muttered something about a lack of grilled cheese.

But despite spending half a day and weekends with the Slifer girl, Syrus couldn't think of anything to say about her except that she was quiet, and seemed to like his and Jaden's company, who she apparently saw as her friends just as they thought the same of her, even though she rarely started a conversation with them and mainly listened to what they were saying unless she took the lead in doing homework and was explaining some complex dueling-something they were sure they'd been doing in duels for years, but had never bothered to name and was surprised to find it had one, and a whole explanation besides.

She was an enigma only because she never offered anything about herself, but listened to others. She didn't seem opposed to answering curious questions though – Jaden had bombarded her with tons one night over tea, all of them about dueling and the twins he'd wanted to beat before she'd beaten him to it – but it seemed so rude to ask her anything that they rarely did. It was like an unspoken agreement.

She was nice, though, despite the lengthy silences she resided in, not minding being brought back from wherever her mind was wandering off to when she went quiet. Syrus thought she was a good friend, and a pleasant contrast to Jaden's boisterous, over-enthusiastic disposition, or his own cruel, troubled, self-pitying mind and the dark shadow that seemed to constantly hover over his existence. Sometimes he wondered how he managed getting up in the morning, or laughing the day away with Jaden – especially when he knew it would make him miserable about all the things he should have done that he didn't by the end of it.

They'd been trudging down white hallways, eventually making their way through the crowd of Obelisks and Ra's toward the couple dozen Slifers on the other side of the test room's door. So engrossed in his thoughts, trying to reconjure the difference between Level 1 and Level 3 Spell cards, Syrus barely took note of their mockery and jests. Abruptly, almost clear of the last yellow jackets and amongst the safety of their red companions, Cori stopped and Syrus did too.

"Feeling well there, Syrus? You look a little green…"

Syrus swallowed, his fingers finding each other in a knot in front of him. "Hmmm…fine," he mumbled a reply, and looked longingly toward the Slifers.

Bastion Misawa was the only Ra he knew personally, surprisingly more through Cori than because he'd met him at the exams. Whenever the Ra Yellow appeared out of nowhere, it was always to greet her first, then make small talk with Syrus, and jest seemingly innocently with Jaden about who was the better duelist and when they'd get the chance to find out.

Syrus liked Bastion because he seemed oblivious to the disapproving stares and scowls some of his dorm mates would shoot his way whenever he spoke to his Slifer _acquaintances_ – because Syrus wasn't sure he could label Bastion a friend, despite not disliking the guy.

"Where's Jaden?"

Syrus and Cori shared a nervous glance, and the shorter boy noticed how she'd crossed her arms, which was a usual stance around Bastion. Maybe she didn't like him as much as Syrus had thought; now he considered it.

"He'll be along…" Cornelia said, waving a dismissive hand and smiling like it was no big deal. Bastion nodded, knowingly, and Syrus's stomach dropped to his feet. How could he write a test when he was so worried about Jaden? _Oh, Jay – why do you have to be such a deep sleeper?_

"What's this? _What_ is this?!" Dr. Crowler came bursting through the door, blonde ponytail whipping from side to side behind his back, arms waving and his voice echoing about the corridor, silencing the stressed murmurs of test-takers. "We are not animals in a barn – form lines, stand neatly, _move, move, move!_" He waved his hands impatiently, walking through the groups of Ra's and Obelisks as he went, who quickly shifted to the wall, one behind the other as though they'd been drawn by a magnet.

Clumsily, the Slifers did the same on the other side of the door, Syrus somehow ending up at the front of the line. He swallowed nervously, wishing he could shrink a little shorter when Dr. Crowler returned. "Enter, come, come," he said briskly, waving at the Obelisks to indicate they should go first. Syrus figured the Ra's would be next, and the lowly Slifers last.

As they passed, Syrus watched the boys and girls in blue over the top of his glasses, returning Alexis's kind smile too late, so her dark-haired friend, Mindy, looked at him funny, and noticed how all the other Obelisks had their noses in the air as they entered – apart from one.

Passing their row, Chazz Princeton deliberately turned his head towards the Slifers, but he wasn't looking at the boys' row, trying to find the absent Jaden as Syrus had thought he might – instead, he was looking at the one-girl row beside the boys' – at Cori. Syrus looked at her too.

Her lips were pressed together in a tight frown, her eyes narrowed at the taller Obelisk, who sniffed indignantly when she caught his eye, and disappeared through the doorway. She was still watching with that thoughtful expression when the last of the Ra's had passed. She made to follow, but Dr. Crowler cut in front of her, scowling, "_Excuse me_."

She recoiled, scowled at his back, and then followed with a shake of her head. Syrus looked down the corridor hopelessly for Jaden, but his friend didn't magically appear, as Syrus somehow knew he wouldn't.

With a heavy heart, Syrus followed in his other friend's wake.

* * *

He tapped the back of his pencil somewhat impatiently against the top of his desk, scowling at the large clock at the front of the classroom, indicating there remained almost half an hour before they could get up and leave. He'd already finished his paper a handful of minutes ago, and come up with the answers to two questions he'd skipped. They were required to stay until the end of the session though, and thus Chazz had little less than thirty minutes to waste on idle thoughts.

When scowling at the clock seemed only to make time move slower, he shifted through his paper again, making sure he'd gotten every question's answer as correctly as he believed possible – some questions were asked so ambiguously it was difficult to decide on one answer against another when both seemed right. Typical Dr. Crowler. And Chazz could not afford a low mark – not even an average mark, not anything less than the very top of the class would do. Of course, Bastion Misawa and his big head were bound to ace the test, since it had become apparent from the start he was the brightest student of all the first years. Of course, his dueling wasn't any match for the Obelisks – or Chazz, specifically – at all, and when the marks came up for the written and the duel test combined, it would be Chazz's name at the top of the first year list even if Misawa bested him in the written. Chazz would make sure of that.

Fifteen minutes remained on the clock when he turned over his test papers, having gone through them once again just to be certain, and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

Up and down the steps leading from the door to the platform below, and back, a pair of 'test officials' were wandering, scanning through the mass of students with vigilant eyes missing nothing. If any student was found cheating, or looking at another's paper, or checking a PDA – anything untoward, really – they were escorted from the room at once and their papers handed in unfinished, or introduced to a shredder depending on the extent of the crime.

They were _supposed to_ enforce the rules of a written test with an iron will, with sway, without mercy, without pity – but even they were corrupt, it seemed.

Little more than an hour into the test the classroom door was opened to permit one Jaden Yuki, Slifer slacker, late and without care, when really he should just have been banned from the room, missing the test altogether in Chazz's opinion. Late was not an option in a test, but for some ridiculous reason the officials had permitted it silently, even when Jaden made a ruckus – "I didn't realize this was an oral exam, Syrus," he'd said jovially, waking his dorky little side-kick with a loud start. Chazz had looked up, seeing Jaden on his feet by the empty seat his friend must have saved for him at his side. Next to Syrus sat another blue head Chazz didn't bother to notice.

The officials looked around, noses high and eyes narrowed at the boy in red, but they said nothing. It was clear they thought this typical Slifer behavior, as Chazz did too. Of course, that shouldn't excuse the slime.

"Jaden!" Syrus had the intelligence, dare Chazz even think it, to whisper at least. "You made it – sit down—" despite the whisper, it was still loud enough for the entire room to hear. Everyone's eyes were on the pair, scowling, frowning, shaking heads, and Chazz couldn't resist – if no one else whose _jobs_ it were, were going to—"Would you slackers shut it already?" he'd snapped loudly, and Jaden turned round to face him, Syrus shrinking in his seat. Chazz ignored noticing her eyes had found him, too. "Some of us plan on passing this test."

"Hey, I always plan on passing, Chazz," Jaden said easily, shrugging. "It just never seems to work out that way," he was smiling, despite his words. "But it's not the end of the world, you know."

"Maybe not for you, Slifer _slacker_, but some of us actually want to make something of ourselves here."

Another shrug, "Good luck with that, Chazz – I'm already something." He grinned, and Chazz scowled.

The officials seemed ready to butt in, finally, but they were beaten to the punch when Professor Banner, who was the 'supervising' teacher for this test finally looked up from what Chazz had almost been sure was a _nap_, if he hadn't spontaneously died for a second – it was hard to tell what the man was doing with his eyes behind those square glasses, not to mention how very still he sat sometimes, like he was hardly breathing – and had noticed Jaden, "Ah! Jaden, there you are – come fetch a paper and take your seat. You still have nearly two hours."

"Sure, Teach," and the slacker had sprinted down a few steps, fetched his paper and returned. Two hours wasn't _nearly_ enough for the boy to finish a test, though – maybe two days, since he apparently needed to sleep indefinitely after thirty minutes.

Presently, the slacker and his bespectacled friend were slumped in their seats, arms spread across the desk, heads down – and _snoring_.

Chazz shook his head, and finally looked at the girl next to Syrus, who was discreetly trying to poke at the boy with her pencil in an attempt to wake him. Either he was too asleep or she just wasn't poking hard enough. Chazz thought about flinging his eraser across the room at the back of either one of their heads – but preferably Jaden's. The Slifer had humiliated him when they dueled that first day, the fact only passing his lackeys by because he'd seemed to have the upper hand by the end of the duel, and it had ended so abruptly Jaden hadn't had a chance to retaliate – somehow though, Chazz had the distinct feeling if Jaden had taken his turn the Obelisk would have been done for. He'd seen the faint sign of a grin on Jaden's face when he'd drawn his last card – that wasn't the comical, animated grin the boy wore every day when he floundered through life without a care. It had been _knowing_, mischievous, triumphant…_genuine_. In that instant Chazz had felt unexplainably _worried_ that he might lose. And that couldn't happen. Not ever.

Chazz Princeton had to be the _best_. So much was riding on his shoulders – he had to prove himself, he couldn't lose. Especially not to a lowly _Slifer_. He would never hear the end of it. They would never let him forget it; they'd rub the shame in his face and remind him of it every time he set so much as a pinky toe wrong. Just like the way they never let him forget about—

She pulled at her ponytail, tightening it, and with a last, hopeless glance at her friends, lay her own head down on her arms, done with her paper as well it seemed.

He'd spoken to her a few times since their first private encounter, but she hadn't yet remembered him. How could she _not_, though? He remembered her well enough – it hadn't been _that_ long ago, after all.

Sometime during the past month, the clumsy Slifer girl had stood from her seat, only to trip over Professor Banner's cat – what the cat had been doing in a classroom in the first place was beyond Chazz – and had hit her knee and her head on the opposite seat, before losing her balance and falling down the rest of the steps. In Banner's classroom Slifers could sit wherever they wanted, and though Jaden and his friends usually kept to the lowest rows in whatever class they found themselves in, the slackers had decided on sitting somewhere in the middle on this particular day.

The Obelisks, and a couple of Ra's, burst into laughter at once. Chazz snickered with more decorum. The Misawa kid on the other side of class actually got to his feet, looking worried, but Jaden was the only one who sprinted down the steps to his friend's aid. Syrus only made it so far as the stairs, but didn't go any closer, probably scared of getting in trouble. It was only after Jaden had started speaking to Cori that Banner snapped from his reverie and came to take a look. She was dizzy, bleeding slightly, and Professor Banner ordered her escorted to the infirmary at once – _by  
Chazz_.

He'd protested, of course, absolutely appalled by the suggestion of _him_ 'escorting' a Slifer slacker anywhere, no matter if their life depended on it. She mumbled some kind of objection herself, echoed by Jaden, who offered to take her instead, saying plainly he didn't think Chazz was decent enough to take care of the girl, just because she's a Slifer. That made the Obelisk's blood boil slightly – he might despise Slifers, and she might be one of them, but he had at least been raised with manners. Banner waved Jaden's objection away with one hand, and took Cori up the steps while beckoning Chazz, stating as he went that Jaden wasn't nearly done with his work yet, he'd been too busy taking a nap for that to be true, and thus couldn't waste any more time in the halls. Apparently the professor wasn't as asleep as Jaden, or Chazz, had thought.

Scowling thus, at Banner's cheerful, satisfied smile, Chazz had reluctantly taken the girl by the arm and marched her from the room.

They didn't speak for the longest time. Chazz was glaring at the corridor ahead, as though trying to force an explanation for this predicament out of the air in front of him, while still, somewhat comfortably he wouldn't admit, hanging onto her elbow. She trudged along, a little unsure of her footing at first, it seemed, so Chazz purposely didn't stray too far to the middle of the hallway for her to have some support – like the wall – on her other side, while she used her free hand to hold Banner's proffered handkerchief to her bloody forehead.

Chazz wondered idly if Banner shouldn't rather have offered her a seat.

Eventually she stopped, leaned against the wall, breathing a little thickly.

"What?" he said impatiently.

"You sound so concerned," she replied sarcastically, not looking at him, but he could see her face; pale.

"The infirmary is right around the corner," he ignored her. "Come on."

She wouldn't move, though, when he tugged on her arm, and slid down the wall to the floor instead, forcing him to let go altogether. "Just…sit for a second…"

A thin trail of blood ran down the side of her face, a droplet or two having escaped the handkerchief. Just the sight of it made Chazz slightly nauseous. Banner clearly wasn't the kind of teacher you wanted around when you hit your head.

Chazz stood, fists involuntarily clenched, teeth grit, staring down at the girl, feeling mildly uncomfortable – what was he supposed to do? Haul her off the floor and force her the rest of the way? What if she fell over? Then he'd have to drag her – what a pain.

He must have been frowning at her for half a minute before he realized she'd been looking up at him the whole time. "You know if you frown like that long enough your face will stick that way."

"Are you done yet, Slacker?" he snapped. "We're nearly there, and I'm not particularly happy about all this."

"Oh, Chazz, I didn't realize you cared," she said, sickly sweet, half smiling. "I'm not happy about having hit my head, either."

Haul her off the floor and force her the rest of the way.

So he bent down, grabbed her by the wrist and did just that. She came up, unsteadily, but held her balance, at least. "_Really?!_" she snapped though, and he almost felt guilty. "My head hurts so bad…"

"All the more reason not to hang around," he muttered angrily, and then noticed for no reason she held something in her hand – a balled up piece of paper. She saw him looking. "I meant to throw that away."

He shrugged it off, and pulled her along. She moaned in complaint, muttering something, but followed nonetheless, and made it to the infirmary in one piece. The nurse concluded she had a mild concussion, some dizziness, which was half walked off already, and after cleaning up her face and applying a plaster, confirmed she would be alright. Her knee came off with much less damage, but it would probably have a bruise and be sore for a couple days longer, but it was generally nothing to worry about.

A bin stood beside the door when they'd entered, and despite Chazz's hold on her wrist, Cori had flung the crumpled paper into it. On their way out, Chazz couldn't resist scooping down to fetch it before they left – walking ahead of him, she didn't notice.

It had been a letter, he'd discovered later, which made sense. In addition to classes revolving around dueling, and gym, they had normal subjects too – languages, mathematics, art. Professor Banner had made them write letters this particular day – one a formal request to duel, the other, if there was any time left, for home, which could be mailed to their families by the end of the week. Writing a letter to send home could of course be done at any time, and a student could ask any teacher to mail it at any time – including it in class was probably just Banner's attempt at keeping his students occupied for the whole period if they finished early. Cori had, apparently, finished early.

_I miss you. More here than I ever did at home. Syrus and Jaden are really good friends though. They make me laugh. I like listening to all the crazy things they can come up with. I'll tell you about it sometime…_

_I never got a chance to tell you, but I suppose you obviously know anyway – I saw you at the Entrance Exams. Carrying Kaiba's briefcase – what fun. Did you see my duel? I know what you think about my cards. I heard you the night—_

She'd scratched out a whole sentence so badly Chazz couldn't make out the rest.

_But I trust them. We have exams in a few weeks; I'll prove just how much then. Get promoted to Ra. You must be disappointed I only got to Slifer…_

_I'd rather be a Slifer than an Obelisk, though. They're cruel. Were you ev—_

More scratching he couldn't read through, but then a few sentences he did manage to decipher despite it: _Do you know a Chazz Princeton? Or do you know if I know one? Which I know is a weird thing to ask, but since you still seem to know everything about me even though you're never around… He looks _so_ familiar, but I can't remember him._

She'd skipped a couple of lines then, and written a note half in the margin that sounded like it was meant more for herself than her brother,

_Remind me why I even bother…_

Followed by a few doodles, a small tear in the middle of the page, and then she must have crumpled up the whole thing in her fist and stood up to chuck it in the bin, only to be sabotaged by the professor's cat.

Absently, Chazz's eyes found his test paper, glanced at his pencil, watched a wall, and darted to her blue hair and back. Why did it bother – 'bother' was not the right word at all, because it surely didn't _bother_ – him so much – 'much' referring to something between very little and less than that – that she couldn't remember him?

Conklin to his right dropped his test papers on Chazz's with an exasperated sigh, startling the dark-haired Obelisk. His lackey didn't seem to notice. On his left, Topher took the pages, passed them along the row toward the official waiting at the end to take them, and Chazz sunk a little deeper into his seat, annoyed at having to stand up in another minute. He'd just gotten comfortable in his own thoughts.

* * *

Bastion had wandered over to their table as the last of the class filed out the door. Cornelia had stayed in her seat, Professor Banner having said with a waving hand to "Oh, just leave them there," when the officials asked what about Jaden and Syrus – who were both still fast asleep.

Cori had tried shaking Syrus's shoulder to no avail, and then flopped down atop her desk, crossed her arms and tried willing them awake with a glare.

Bastion, who wore an amused smile, rested his hand on the desk in front of Jaden and said, "The pair of you might want to consider waking up. You know, if you felt like it."

Cori thought about scowling at him, too, but she was already rolling her eyes at the sleeping pair instead, "Keep trying, Bastion – maybe it'll work by tomorrow."

He laughed at that, but was cut off abruptly when Syrus suddenly jumped up, erect in his seat at first, but then all the way to his feet as he said, much too loudly, "_What?!_"

"Relax, Sy," Cori said, trying not to laugh, like Bastion was plainly trying not to as well. Syrus didn't seem to hear, and was looking around frantically, appearing more stressed with each direction he faced, "What happened?"

"You…you slept through your test, Sy," she said carefully, hesitantly, recalling Syrus's state that morning before the test. Syrus stared at her.

"What…?" he moaned, sinking back into his seat. "You're kidding. It's over already?" he asked, though he had plainly seen it was, and looked around again like he was just making sure.

"Indeed it is," Bastion said, sounding somewhat sympathetic. "And your papers were taken in without either of you even noticing a thing. Heavy sleeping is apparently not an attractive quality in a duelist…"

"I'll never pass now…" Syrus said in despair, looking gloomily at his empty desk.

"Don't worry, there's still the practical at least, Sy."

But Syrus shook his head. "I can't win a duel to save my life!"

Cori thought she heard Bastion mutter, "Well now, fancy that…" at this proclamation, as though he found it interesting, or ironic.

Syrus was still speaking, "I was counting on the written! I knew everything too. Stupid Slifer the Sky Dragon séance keeping me up all night!" he'd muttered it more than said it really, like he hadn't meant for them to hear, but they had, and Cori and Bastion shared a raised-eyebrow expression, and a shrug.

"If they were grading dramatic performances, Sy…" Jaden spoke unexpectedly, eyes still closed and head down, but he was awake. "You'd definitely get the highest score."

"And you'd be getting no score at all," Bastion put in, before Syrus could say anything himself. "_Still_."

"Hey, plans never work out," Jaden said easily, sitting up and rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I did say that before, didn't I?"

"It must happen very often for you to care so little about it," Bastion remarked.

"No. Well, yes," Jaden amended, after a pause. "But no – I do care, which is why I always have a back-up plan." He grinned, but Bastion raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Practical test," Jaden explained simply. "Dueling is my best asset after all."

"Well then you might like to prepare your deck," Bastion said. "The card shack opens in ten minutes, with tons of new, rare cards especially shipped over for the test."

"Rare cards?" Syrus and Jaden said in unison, both getting to their feet, looking eager. Cori smiled.

"Why didn't you just start with that?" Jaden grinned, and made to sprint off when another thought caught him in his tracks, "Why aren't you getting any?"

"_Please_," Bastion waved a hand. "One errant card and my deck's perfect balance will be completely thrown off."

"Fair enough," Jaden shrugged. "Cori?"

"What he said," she pointed at Bastion.

"So you're not coming?"

"I'll catch up," she smiled, which was enough for the brown-haired boy, who nodded, appealed to Syrus to hurry along, and sprinted up the steps and out the door, followed by his friend's feeble, "Wait up!"

Truth be told, Cornelia didn't think any _more_ unfamiliar cards would be good for her, or her deck. And also, she was in no mood to run.

Left to their own devices thus, Bastion invited her for a leisurely stroll around the building to pass the time, saying Jaden and Syrus would undoubtedly be a while, since he'd heard students usually lined up down several corridors for rare cards. Since there was only an hour's reprieve before the test though, not everyone always got a chance to buy some cards, unless you were a senior. The second years wrote their test late afternoon, and the third years late evening, and no one was permitted back into the shack after their tests until morning.

As they roamed the hallways, Bastion made polite conversation, "How did you find the test? Not too difficult?"

Cori shook her head, "It was alright… I bet you had no trouble with it at all," she smiled, elbowing his arm. Bastion being a genius was a running tease.

He gave an embarrassed laugh, looking away, but whether it was genuine or not, Cori could never tell. He never replied to such remarks however, and Cori always felt like it was still her turn to keep the conversation flowing, so she said, "Do you like it here, Bastion? At the Academy, I mean."

Despite sharing classes, and small snippets of conversation between periods, she hadn't had time like this to spend with Bastion and ask him about…well, anything. Something she felt rather disappointed about since he had in fact been the first person she'd met at the Academy – technically, since she hadn't actually met him at the Academy, and hadn't known he was going to the Academy at the time, and also if you didn't count her gut feeling that she knew Chazz – and he'd been really gentlemanly towards her, which was nice. Bastion sometimes seemed like he came from a completely different era, where chivalry was more honorability than mandatory.

"I _do_ like it here," he said, smiling at nothing in particular. "The people, the island – very beautiful – the friends…" he eyed her sideways. "We _are_ friends, aren't we?"

She couldn't help but smile, and probably blush a bit just in general embarrassment or some such something. Back home she hadn't had many friends at all. She'd felt like such a recluse, minding her own business, living in her own little world. The people back home were different though, than the ones she'd met here. Or maybe she'd changed somehow and that's what made the difference.

Not looking at him, and hoping he didn't have much of a fair view of her cheeks through the fringe of hair framing her face, Cornelia nodded decisively, "Yes. Yes, we are."

"I'm glad to hear it…" Bastion said, sounding thoughtful. Then there was silence for a moment, which, while not altogether an uncomfortable thing, made Cori wonder what was on Bastion's mind. She wondered about something else to say when he beat her to it, "Since we are friends," he said, almost carefully. "I _can_ ask you something, then?"

"Sure…" she said, shrugged, and then, feeling rather reluctant about what the question could possibly be, considering the tone he was using, she switched over to teasing again, "But that doesn't mean I'll answer it." She tried Jaden's grin on him, and he gave a laugh, relaxed now.

"Fair enough," he said then, and cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask… The day of the Entrance Exams, you seemed very distracted near the end of it…when Mr. Kaiba arrived and gave his speech." If Cori were standing still she thought she might be shifting the weight of her feet unintentionally, instead she just crossed her arms, trying to make it look easy. "And I noticed the person with him – blue hair, same as yours, very tall…your…brother?"

"Yes," she said shortly.

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit it," Bastion said, and this sounded more genuine than any dismissive of his intellectual skills ever had, so Cori glanced at him in surprise. "But I'm a bit of a…_fan_ of your brother's."

She barked a laugh, stopping to face him, "You're a '_fan_'?" she couldn't help but laugh, and Bastion stiffened, his cheeks actually turning a mild shade of pink. "I'm sorry," she attempted a serious face, waving a hand through the air. "Sorry. So…how did this happen?" trying for an inquisitive expression. Bastion frowned at her, unimpressed, and sighed as he crossed his arms.

"I shouldn't have brought it up…" he muttered under his breath, clearly not meaning for her to hear, but she did anyway, and said, genuinely curious now, "Why did you?"

"I…just—" Bastion waved a hand, uncertain, "Was making conversation."

"Pooh," she said, earning a surprised glanced. "You asked because you wanted to _know_ something…or something."

"Well…" he started, but she cut him off, "Answer my first question first – how'd you become a 'fan'?" though she smiled around the word, Bastion ignored it.

He glanced down the corridor, feigning an unconcerned look around before he answered, all the while mentally scowling at himself – he hadn't counted on her _laughing_ at him. "I saw him dueling on television – against Zane."

"On TV?" Cori repeated, perplexed. "When was this?"

"2001, which I realize is _five_ years ago, and I was only ten, but I remember it very well. It was only broadcasted because Zane was such a protégé at the time, and the Prep School was particularly proud of him. It was the end of his first year – and shortly after it was announced it had been the end of his Prep School days altogether, for some unknown reason. Your brother wasn't a student at Prep School, of course, but the School was giving away a special grant to anyone who could beat Zane. You honestly don't remember this?"

"I was like nine," Cori shrugged. "Besides, I can hardly remember what happened yesterday," she waved a hand. "But go on – I'm curious now."

He smiled a bit at that, and then took the lead in continuing down the corridor. She fell into step beside him easily, and he continued, feeling better about having sparked her curiosity more than her amusement. "Your brother was dueling for the grant, of course, and played very well against Zane. He nearly beat him, too, but it had ended in a draw. As I recall another boy had tied with Zane, and then it was decided him and your brother would duel it out – the other boy won, but I can't remember who he was, I wasn't paying attention."

"Sad," Cori commented, not sounding sympathetic at all.

"I remember reading in magazines about Zane, and wishing I could duel as well as him," Bastion continued. "But when I saw him dueling on television he seemed so different than the boy I'd been reading about. In fact, I thought the picture they'd painted of him, of the way he dueled fit your brother much better. I was entranced by the way he dueled – so eloquent, so precise, as if he knew exactly what to expect, when to expect it, and what he was planning on doing about it. Like he dueled with a pre-determined formula he'd somehow figured out beforehand. It was clearly unperfected, though, since he hadn't won, but it was halfway there. I was enthralled and inspired by him – I had to know what these methods were for myself, I had to figure them out…"

Bastion stopped abruptly, noticing Cornelia's eyes on him. Cornelia. That's what it was short for. Professor Banner kept calling her by her full name in class. She was looking at him like she'd only just seen him for the first time, and Bastion felt utterly exposed under her open gaze.

"Err…"

"You want me to set you up on a _date_?" she asked flatly, and Bastion recoiled.

"_What?_ I-don't – _what_?"

She burst out laughing again, "Your face – so priceless," she managed, through her fit, and Bastion scowled, stomped his foot without really having meant to, and crossed his arms.

"_Honestly_, Cori – that was so uncalled for," he snapped. She regained her composure, but only just it seemed.

"_Honestly_, Bastion," she mocked, putting on a very pretty, dare he think it, British accent. "I was only teasing – you speak so highly of the man," this she said with serious underlying contempt, waving a dismissive hand at him. "No one's ever done that about anything he's done."

"You don't like him," he observed bluntly, and she shot him an annoyed look, which he ignored. "Why not? He seemed to me to be a rather caring person."

"_Five_ years ago," she sneered. "Besides which, '_caring_' towards whom? He was on TV, dueling – not much to care for there."

"His cards, for one thing," Bastion replied, frowning slightly, and then a bit more when he noticed her flinch. "And _you_."

"Say what?"

"Well, you say you don't remember, and why should you, you did look rather bored," Bastion said to her befuddled expression. "But after thinking it through, _and_ watching your brother's duel against Zane again after our Entrance Exams, because I had to make sure it really was him I'd seen, and you really _were_, possibly, his sister – I noticed something on the tape. Or rather, some_one_. You were there."

"I was…?" she looked away, casting her puzzled gaze toward the corridor ahead, rubbed her cheek in an imitation of Jaden. "I _really_ don't remember."

"Like I said, you looked bored, and were barely paying attention to the duel. The camera only caught you for a second; you were speaking to someone off screen."

"I don't suppose you have that here?" Cori asked hopefully.

"Sadly, not," he replied. "But I could bring it along after the holidays if you'd like?"

"I guess." Silence for a moment, before she said, "What time is it?"

"Probably time to head back," he said, checking his watch. "Indeed." He led the way again.

"So, all this…_precision_ to your deck and whatnot," she said after a while. "You got that off watching _one_ duel of my brother's?"

"So I did," he admitted. "And he definitely _was_ dueling with a formula; I can assure you of that. Moreover, I spent five years trying to figure it out – and I reckon I have."

She nudged his elbow gently with her own, smiling, "Geek."


	8. Transcended

Transcended

* * *

Back home, Miss Maxine had always told anyone who would listen that Jaden only knew how to sit still when he was sleeping upright. Evidently, Jaden realized, she wasn't wrong. His knee was bouncing up and down, foot tapping to its own uneven rhythm while his fingers drummed across his lap where he sat in one of the front rows of the test arena, facing one of the occupied dueling platforms. A pair of Slifers vacated the row behind Jaden to take over a recently deserted platform, but despite there being several more that were emptying fast, Jaden would have to wait until every Slifer was done before he could duel. When a student was left without a partner, being an unequal number, one of the students who'd already finished their duel was drafted to be the remaining student's opponent. Whoever was dueling for a second time didn't receive any additional marks from the second duel, though, of course.

Whether you won a duel or lost, depending on the achievements set for the specific match, and how many you managed to actually achieve, both duelists could earn marks, and even if you lost, you could still pass the test at a higher rank than the duel's winner.

Upon hearing this explanation from Bastion some time before the duels were about to start, Syrus's spirits had lifted a little, especially in light of the fact all the rare cards had been sold out by the time they'd reached the shack – for all but one – until Bastion went on to add, and someone over the intercom confirmed, a win was the achievement set for this duel, and thus only a win would earn you any marks, and Syrus's soaring spirits had come crashing down. Not ten minutes later the blue-haired boy's name had been called and Sy trudged up to his assigned platform too far away for Jaden to get a decent look at how the duel was going, what with the other platforms too soon equally occupied and in the way.

Cori was up there dueling too of course, and if Jaden leaned over to the left just a little he had a better view of what was going on – but Bastion sat next to him, and every time Jaden wanted a peek, the Ra would sneer at him over his lengthy nose. So Jaden sat fidgeting, bored out of his skull with having to wait his turn. He'd been a little freaked out when no one had called his name and all his classmates were already dueling, until Bastion explained about uneven students, adding indignantly, "Honestly, do you never bother reading the rules?"

"Then you'd have nothing to do," Jaden shrugged and grinned, leaving Bastion to cross his arms, scowl, sniff at the boy and turn away. He didn't leave though, and Jaden couldn't think of a way to make him so he could take Bastion's seat and watch Cori's duel.

What he was doing on this side of the arena was anyone's guess anyway, because all the Ra's and Obelisks were spread out on the other side of the room altogether, leaving the Slifers on their lonesome like they were some kind of infectious rash. Bastion was either immune, or didn't care if he got infected. Maybe he already was, Jaden had thought at some point, eyeing the Ra-Yellow sideways. During the past month he'd only ever spoken to them through Cori first, and then earlier he'd declined the interest in new rare cards – like Jaden believed all that mumbo-jumbo about a perfectly balanced deck with no room for a new card! – as did _she_, in favor of…being left alone together?

Jaden's eyebrows had shot up into his hair at this realization, and without having meant to, he'd found himself almost gaping at Bastion. The Ra had come in with Jaden's female friend – she was so petite, and quick, and boyish, that despite the long hair, Jaden sometimes forgot she was actually a girl – and they'd sat down with Jaden and Syrus – Bastion _between_ Jaden and Cori. The Slifer had thought on it for another second, gaping a bit more at the boy beside him, who was nearly twice his size across the shoulders. Bastion and Cornelia…? Cornelia and Bastion. _Huh. Really?_

"What are you doing now?" Bastion had snapped, having finally noticed Jaden's stare. Startled, Jaden whipped around in his seat to face the front again, saying quickly, "Nothing!" He could still feel Bastion's eyes on him for another moment though.

"You are so very…peculiar," the Ra said, and settled more comfortably in his seat, continuing his watch of the duel.

Jaden nodded feebly. Bastion sounded somewhat scary when he got annoyed like that. And he had reason to be, Jaden wouldn't like some kid gaping at him either. It just baffled Jaden so much, the thought of Bastion _liking_ Cori. Not that she was unlikeable; he argued mentally, idly tapping his foot. But Bastion was such a tall, bulky guy – he could probably snap Jaden in half like a twig with those muscly arms. Syrus, definitely, he was all bone. Jaden had a little sinew. But Cori, she was even thinner than Sy – imagine if he gave her a hug, she'd come away with cracked ribs. Jaden cringed.

But then, maybe she likes muscly guys – makes her feel warm, and safe? Girls have weird notions like that, Jaden figured. Absently he tapped his arm, drummed his fingers across his leg – maybe he could do with a little more muscle himself… A vague image of Jaden's head on Bastion's body came to mind, and Jaden shrugged it off at once. Besides, he had a mild crush on Alexis and she didn't seem to care for Bastion's buff. That was probably not the best idea to be had though, since Jaden was pretty sure Syrus had a mild crush on their blonde – acquaintance? – too. She was probably dating that tall, dark-haired guy they'd spied her down a corridor with once, though.

Their backs turned to Jaden and Syrus, neither had seen the guy's face, or been noticed by the pair, but he and Alexis had been in what Jaden could only describe as a _deep_ conversation, standing as close as they were.

Jaden had wanted to go over and say hello, though he'd never admit it was either a jealous or competitive streak that had sparked the sudden urge to stick his nose into someone else's private conversation – because generally he would _never_ do that – but little Syrus by his side had immediately opposed the idea with a panicked plea. Jaden half thought at the time it was simply out of habit, because Syrus seemed to always be the first to shoot down whatever idea Jaden came up with for anything, only to go along with it anyway half a minute later. It was one of the things Jaden rather liked about his new friend; after all, someone had to keep their heads and it surely wasn't going to be Jaden.

For once Jaden had actually paid attention to Syrus's request though, because it dawned on him his friend would probably not want to stand in the shadow of Mister Tall, Dark and Handsome in front of the girl he had a crush on – there was no denying it on Syrus's part after the incident at the girls' dorm – when she was so obviously fond of the guy, and dismissive of Syrus. Jaden realized he didn't want it for himself much either. They'd promptly scurried away from the corridor at once.

All that thinking had turned Jaden's limbs into rhythmic drums, earning him irritable glances from Bastion, whom, despite the obvious annoyance on his face, didn't say anything. So Jaden picked up his inadvertent fidgeting intentionally, hoping it would drive Bastion to another seat.

As it happened, however, the Ra didn't move, "You should relax a bit more, Jaden," he said snidely instead. "There's no need to be so _nervous_ – dueling is your area of expertise, isn't it?"

"That's what I've been saying," Jaden grinned, but didn't stop tapping his foot. "It's not nerves anyway, Bastion," he said confidently, watching his companion's face. Bastion raised an eyebrow in mock inquisition. "It's excitement."

The more he'd sat thinking about it, the more excited he'd become at the prospect. He'd been meaning to ask her since forever, but it never came up, and there never seemed to be a _right_ time to do it, either, but this was _perfect_.

"Excitement?"

"If I'm lucky," Jaden explained, and thinking about the morning he'd had, and the new card resting in his deck, he had to conclude it had been pretty lucky so far. "I might get to duel Cori."

Bastion might have said something about that, but the Slifer barely gave him a chance – Jaden leaned over his seat to get a look at the platform, blocking Bastion's view and almost falling into the Ra's lap besides. "_Honestly_ – get off!" Bastion had Jaden by the arms, trying to push him back, but the Slifer sat crouched in his seat, struggling against Bastion's steadfast grip, and nearly holding his ground.

"You're hogging the best seat, Bastion – and I want to see Cori's match, too!"

"Well, why not just _move_ then?"

"I was here first!"

"Actually, _I_ was in this seat first."

"I was on this side of the arena first – beat that! Why aren't you over there with your Ra-Yellow buddies anyway, huh?"

"Maybe because I-don't-like-them—"

"Well maybe we don't-like-you-either—"

"_Guys_."

Jaden froze, as did Bastion, to look up at her.

Alexis stood with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised at the pair – the Ra-Yellow, Bastion Misawa Alexis knew, had sunk down into his seat, almost lying in it really, with Jaden half in his own seat, half climbing over the arm of it, apparently winning his little wrestling match with Bastion even though Jaden was caught by the wrists and Bastion twice his size.

"Err…Alexis Rhodes…" Misawa said, barely audibly, staring at her.

"Hey, Alexis." Jaden greeted, ever so casually, smiling fleetly and giving her a feeble wave with one free hand.

"Get off," the Ra snapped, pushing Jaden away so he fell back into his seat, before he got to his feet and straightened his jacket. "I apologize for the display," he said to Alexis, somewhat formally, and then added with a leer, "It was entirely _his_ fault," half glancing back at Jaden.

The Slifer gaped at him, but promptly shut his mouth when he caught Alexis's eye. She didn't doubt he'd started it for a second. He thought so too, apparently, because he was on his feet right then, bowing even, saying somewhat seriously – it was hard to tell if he wasn't just mocking Bastion – "I apologize, too, Alexis," then he grinned, and she knew there was nothing serious about it. "You didn't need to see me beat down Bastion like that."

"I beg your pardon – you weren't beating me at anything!"

"You want to go again – we'll have a proper duel this time!"

Alexis rolled her eyes, grabbed both boys by the cuffs of their jackets and shoved them down into their seats – Bastion one over so she could sit down between them. "Now be quiet," she snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance. "If Dr. Crowler sees you two fighting like this he'll end your exam right here and you won't get to duel. Or worse, you'd get _expelled_," she looked over at Jaden, who swallowed. "And I do know how much you'd _hate_ that."

"Heh…right," Jaden muttered, shrinking into his seat like a bad child. "Sorry."

"Yes, me too," Bastion said from her other side.

Settling into her seat, Alexis nodded to herself, satisfied.

"Bastion Misawa, by the way," said the Ra-Yellow after a moment, extending his hand.

"Err, Alexis Rhodes," she replied, shaking it briskly.

"Next to Chazz, I hear you're the best Obelisk in the first year," he said, but she made no move to comment. "Though I'm probably not near as good as you – being a Ra-Yellow, after all – I would love a chance to test my skills against yours some time."

Alexis never backed down from a challenge, she loved them too much, and Bastion was the smartest student in, probably, the whole school. She'd not mind a test of skill against him either. But she wasn't going to let him just have it. "Make it to Obelisk first, and we'll see—"

She'd barely finished her sentence before Jaden cut in, though, "Ha – I already beat you to it, Bastion! And I beat her, too, so if you want to get ahead you're going to have to beat me next!" He grinned.

Alexis glared at him, "Shut up, Jaden."

"Can't leave you alone for ten minutes, can I, Jay?"

"Sy!" Jaden spun round in his seat, and Alexis noticed his short, blue-haired friend as well – the faintest of smiles on his chubby-cheeked face. He was blushing a little, too, she noticed for no reason, and mentally rolled her eyes at herself – probably it was because of her. Like Chazz, the boy obviously had a crush on her – had been for a while; there was no other reason he'd responded to that fake love letter the way he had. And, Alexis loathed to admit, but she did have this uncanny knack for attracting all the guys she didn't want – no offence to poor little Sy. Chazz she could easily ignore, he was a jerk. But Syrus was a bumbling bundle of nerves that came across as sweet and adorable, in a little brother sort of way, and if she was going to keep finding excuses to hang around Jaden, she was going to have to hang around Syrus and his crush on her, too. And frankly, she had no real idea how to deal with that.

She only caught the boy's eye for a moment before Jaden had, thankfully, gotten to his feet and blocked her view, saying excitedly, "Did you win your duel?" Despite the question he didn't sound doubtful of the answer being 'yes'.

"Ah, Jaden – you didn't even see?"

"Sorry, Sy – too many other people in the way," he waved at the platforms with one hand, and, from this seat, all you really could see were the two or three duels going on right in front. From Alexis's seat she could make out one of the back platforms as well, though – where Cori had dueled.

"You could have moved."

"No other seat looked quite as inviting…" Jaden said apprehensively, but glanced quickly back at Alexis for apparently no reason. "Besides, everyone I know's over here," mentally she bet herself he was grinning that ridiculous grin of his. "So, come on, Sy," Jaden dismissed his neglect with another wave of his hand. "You _did_ win, right?"

Alexis frowned, there wasn't an air of triumph surrounding Syrus whatsoever; he seemed more embarrassed than anything else. He really won? She thought he might have rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "Yeah…I had a lucky break, Jimmy drew a bad hand."

"The worst!" Jimmy, Alexis assumed, said from a row or two behind them, and Jaden called back to him, "Sorry, buddy – maybe next time!" then he turned back to his friend, "I never doubted you, Sy."

"Heh…"

"So, where's Cori?" Jaden asked, and Alexis continued frowning with vigor – maybe Jaden liked her. They spent so much time together, it wouldn't even surprise Alexis. That didn't mean she had to like the thought, though.

"I thought she was with you guys," Alexis heard Syrus say, sounding puzzled. Alexis had half thought Cornelia would be here, too, now she realized, because she'd seen the Slifer girl's duel end a while ago.

"No, I haven't seen her," Jaden replied with a shrug. "Maybe she's still dueling—"

"Her duel ended already," Alexis filled in, making Jaden turn around.

"It did? Bastion!" he snapped at the Ra, who looked at him lazily. "You didn't say a word?!"

Bastion shrugged, unperturbed, "I thought you'd seen."

"How could I have – you were in the only seat with a view!"

"I'm sure there was one behind me, as well."

Jaden opened his mouth to say something, but then drew a blank expression, "Never thought of that…"

Alexis scowled, "Jaden, would you sit down before you get us all into trouble again—"

"What? I've never—" he started, most defiantly, only to be abruptly cut off.

_"Jaden Yuki—"_ sounded across the arena over the intercom; Dr. Crowler's voice from where he spoke through the microphone in the elevated room in one corner of the arena, its glass windows providing a view to all of the platforms. Jaden froze where he stood, one finger in the air where he'd left it to help prove a point he'd probably by now forgotten anyway. _"To dueling area 5 for your examination duel. Now."_

There was barely a pause between the brief, relieved exhale of breath that he wasn't in any trouble, and the broad grin of excitement that it was finally his turn to duel, before he gave them all, what had kind of become, or had probably always been, his signature salute with two fingers, saying briskly, "Wish me luck! Not that I need it," and then he spun round, took half a step, and nearly ran into his other blue-haired friend. "Cori!"

"Good luck, Jay," she said, a might breathlessly, his sudden appearance in front of her giving her a start.

"Thanks," he grinned. "I'll see you after," and he was sprinting away again.

Alexis's eyes followed his retreating figure, barely taking note of the girl sitting beside her, Syrus next to her, asking, "Where'd you disappear to?"

"Bathroom," Cori replied, too quickly, she decided afterward, but Syrus didn't seem to notice.

It wasn't exactly a lie, anyway – she _had_ headed for the bathroom after her duel; only, she never quite got there.

Just as she'd been crossing the corridor past the boys' bathroom door, it had opened unexpectedly to permit one tall, blue-dressed boy exit, and she'd walked right into him. Cori had bumped into his arm, losing her footing so she fell down; whilst the Obelisk dropped a deck of cards he'd been shuffling through. He barely paid her any mind, apart from stating with obvious dislike, "_Slacker_."

"_Chazz_," she greeted with half a wave,  
glaring at him where he'd gotten down on one knee to retrieve his cards. "Not even going to ask me if I'm alright?"

He spared her a glare, said dismissively, "You came walking into me – something of a habit I'm noticing."

"In my defense, this is only the second time," she quipped. "_Really_. Besides – it's all accidental."

"Second time," he muttered under his breath. "Ha. You should be asking me if _I'm_ alright – show some respect. I should be making you pick up my cards, too, lowly Slifer."

"Oh, you are _so_ full of it…" she said serenely, smiling, and then shifted to her knees, deciding there was no permanent damage from the fall, only a lingering ache in her one hand, and her bum. It would probably go away. "I'll take you up on that last one, though," she said, snatching up one of his errant cards before he could.

"Hey – that's mine!"

"No kidding," she remarked dryly, raising the card above her head and back as far as she could when he tried grabbing it from her.

"Give it, Slacker," he said, teeth grit, his hand held palm up in front of her. On his knees, like she was, he was still taller than her, but Cori wouldn't let him stare her down. This was too much fun. It took real effort not to grin at the look on his face – so serious, she was certain he'd have an inch-deep fissure between his eyebrows before the year was out if he kept that expression on his face.

"Take it," she challenged back, putting up her best intimidating glare.

"Still such a kid," Chazz said, so quietly Cori almost didn't hear, and then he scowled and got to his feet, so she followed his lead. _Still. He'd said 'still'- right? Like he'd said it before._

Asking him about knowing her was bound to lead nowhere, though, so she shrugged it off, watched him straighten the cards in his deck, and held out the one he was missing. He snatched it back, barely looking at her.

"That's V-Tiger Jet," Cori said. Chazz ignored her, methodically placing it back in his deck. "And it's brand new…"

Chazz put his deck away without a word before starting off briskly with nothing more than a glance. But Cornelia had had a thought and wanted to know if she was right, so she spun round and followed him. "You buy new cards for every exam back at Prep School? Buying new ones for this exam, too?"

He shook his head, tightened his fists at his sides, "That's why they're there, _Slacker_. Now go away."

"How many do you buy?" she asked, quickening her pace to keep up with him. Any faster and he'd be _running_ from her, "_Every_ new card that comes in?"

"No."

"So why for this exam?"

He stopped, spun round to face her, "What makes you think I bought every card in the shack, Slacker?"

"Every new card is sold out," she stopped almost right under his nose. "No one got one. Except for one person…obviously," she shrugged.

"So it's automatically me because I have a new card?" he scowled.

"Well, that's what I'm asking," she replied. "_Did_ you buy every new card in the shack?"

His grey eyes seemed to scan her face, like he was wondering if he could catch what exactly she was after in her expression. Cori wasn't sure herself.

"Something like that," he answered finally.

"Thought you were the best," she said. "Can't make a simple exam without cheating everyone else out of a fair chance to make it, too?"

"First come, first serve, Slacker," he retorted. "I'm the only one who deserves there cards, _because_ I'm the best."

"Some Obelisk questioned that and now he needs to be taught a lesson?" she ventured – there was anger in his eyes.

"Someone's going to learn something today, I can tell you that much," he replied, and then, like he only now realized who he'd been talking to, he said angrily, "Now stay out of my way, Slacker! You keep popping up everywhere, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were stalking me."

He spun on his heel, and marched down the corridor, but she called him back, knowing what it was she'd been after.

"What, Slacker?" he turned. "_What?!_"

"Do you have a bond with your cards, Chazz?" she asked. "Do they trust you?"

"What?" he recoiled, not having expected such a question it seemed. "No. The only bond we have is that they're the best cards and I'm the best one to use them. And that's it." He walked away then, scowling back at her over his shoulder before he rounded the corner. Cori let him go.

Presently, Cori watched Chazz take his place opposite Jaden on the dueling platform with as much surprise as the rest of the arena. She had to admit, she hadn't seen it coming – but then, who else needed to be 'taught a lesson'? With Jaden's last drawn card having been Monster Reborn during their first duel, it was clear he was about to win the match – 'humiliating' Chazz in front of his lackeys, the Obelisk would say. Maybe he'd seen it coming, or had so bad a hand anything Jaden managed to pull would've lost him the duel. This was revenge. And with Dr. Crowler's mini-vendetta against Jaden, he wouldn't deny Chazz the chance to duel the Slifer and pay him back in spades in front of the whole school.

As Cori watched the pair draw their starting cards, she almost felt a pang of pity for Chazz – if he lost here Crowler wouldn't be pleased with his top Obelisk student. But if it was Jaden who lost, he'd bounce right back unfazed. For a moment she didn't know which one she ought to be rooting for, but then Jaden's Elemental Hero Clayman appeared on the field, and she realized, she shouldn't be picking. Chazz wasn't her friend.

Much like Jaden's duel against Dr. Crowler during the Entrance Exams, the crowd of students was entombed within a hushed excitement, so when Jaden spoke, Cori didn't doubt even the highest seated Obelisk had heard every word, "You remember him from our first match, don't you?"

Chazz drew his first card, sneered, "Let's finish what we started that day, hey, Slifer _Slacker_?"

"Thought you'd never ask," was Jaden's reply, not sounding any more intimidated than he had with their first duel.

"I wasn't asking," Chazz said, barely loud enough for Cori in the front row to hear it, though the venom in his tone was unmistakable. Then he raised his voice, sliding one card into his Spell/Trap slot, "I activate the effects of Magical Mallet!"

"Oh," Bastion's slight whisper of impressed surprise bode ill for Jaden, no doubt.

"A…what now?" the Slifer was saying, earning him a scowl from his opponent, who then impatiently explained, "I get to shuffle my unwanted cards back into my deck, and redraw some _new_ ones," he did thus, and smirked at his new hand. "Look here – Magical Mallet again!" So he activated it again to exchange two cards in his hand for a set of new ones.

Beside her, Alexis wore a thoughtful expression as she mused, "Chazz has never had that card in his deck before. Not that I can remember…"

Idly Cori wondered how impressed Chazz would be at learning Alexis kept tabs on his cards – she'd noticed the way he blushed every time the Obelisk girl so much as _looked_ in his direction. And then she mentally rolled her eyes – what did she really care about that? – and said, "Then it must be new."

"Lucky me I've found what I was looking for," Chazz was saying, and, smirking like he'd already won the duel, summoned the monster in Attack Mode to his field, "V-Tiger Jet!"

Cori stared at the apparition, awed as the rest of the arena was, but for different reasons – no doubt Chazz's entire deck was made up of as many of the new cards that went together as he could manage to assemble in an hour's time, and despite how new they were, and this only their first duel with Chazz, he played them with such confidence. _Or arrogance…_ Regardless, it had taken her a dozen duels and more to reach a semblance of that with her own deck.

Absently she fingered the deck in its holder at her hip, wondering how he managed that, but then shook her head, fervently – this was just Logan getting into her head.

Unaware, her eyes had drifted from the duel, and when she looked up, Chazz had summoned a W-Wing Catapult, and was in the middle of some triumphant-sounding speech before he said, "Now, merge!"

V-Tiger Jet launched into the air, as did W-Wing catapult, meeting each other somewhere above the field to fit together as though they'd been made for each other, forming a larger, stronger unit that settled back down between Chazz and Jaden, sporting 2000 attack points – just enough to get rid of Jaden's Elemental Hero defense. "VW-Tiger Catapult!" Chazz barely gave them time to breathe, though, "But I'm not done, yet! He still has a special ability—"

"Not good," Jaden's comment was nearly lost to Cori's ears over Chazz's over-zealous explanation, but she heard Syrus's echoed sentiments beside her just fine.

"By sending one card to the Graveyard, I can force one of your monsters into Attack Mode!" he slipped a card from his hand, and Jaden's Elemental Hero Clayman, now donned in a meager 800 attack points, stood from its crouching position. "So now, after this heat-seeker blitz from my Tiger Catapult, your Life Points are _toast_!"

"Anyone hungry?" Cori muttered ruefully, crossing her arms as Chazz's creation destroyed Jaden's large, round brown Hero, shattering it to pieces, sending it to the Grave, and leaving her Slifer friend with 2800 LP, nearly half.

Beside her, Syrus groaned, but across from the arena Obelisks were looking mighty smug, and more than half the Ra's were quietly applauding or nodding their heads in obvious admiration.

_What's really the worst that could happen if Jaden lost…? We're already Slifer Slackers…_

"I'll finish up with one card face down," Chazz said, satisfied and still smirking – Cori didn't think he'd spent as much time smiling his whole life as he had the last ten minutes kicking Jaden's butt. _No offense, Jay…_

"Yeah, go ahead and finish up," Jaden retorted. "Me? I'm just getting _warmed_ up!" he drew his next card, oblivious to Chazz rolling his eyes. "Speaking of – here's a guy who can _really_ turn up the heat – Elemental Hero Sparkman!" he slapped down the card on his duel disk, adding defiantly, "In _Defense_ Mode!"

"Ha – yeah, very hot," Chazz said dryly, and Cori berated herself for thinking almost the same thing.

Jaden paid the Obelisk no mind, though, adding another card to his duel disk, "_And,_ I'll finish with a card face down!"

"Not much else to do, what with all the rares Chazz seems to have," Bastion commented from Alexis's other side, and Cori quietly seethed – Chazz was playing unfairly. Worse even, he knew it and he didn't care. Neither did his cards seem to care either, though. _Oh, stuff it in a barrel, Cornelia – they're only cards. It's not as if they _know_ what's going on._ She very pointedly avoided a glance at her own deck. She'd won her duel by a hairsbreadth, that's all it had been. Lenny said he had a bad draw, but he'd showed Cori his cards afterwards, and his looked a whole lot better than hers. If he'd played it right, he'd have won. It had been Amy's Kuriboh that'd saved her.

"X _and_ Z?" Syrus's squeal from beside her snapped Cori from her thoughts and she blinked up at the platform – Chazz had added X-Head Cannon and Z-Metal Tank to his side of the field. "That can only mean one thing…!"

Chazz, meanwhile, had flipped up his facedown to reveal Call of the Haunted, "In case you slept through that class, too, Slacker, it lets me bring back a card from my Graveyard—"

"I know what it does," Jaden said, sounding half annoyed, half…troubled? Was he worried about this? That was ridiculous – Jaden never worried…right?

Chazz carried on like he hadn't heard the Slifer, "And I'm choosing—"

A light shown from the Trap card onto the field, replaced a moment later with—

"It's _him!_" Syrus squawked, and from beside Alexis, Bastion unfolded his arms and leaned forward in amazement, "He has it!"

Alexis eyed him askance, but, she loathed admitting, she was a little impressed herself.

"Y-Dragon Head!" Chazz exclaimed on stage, arms spread wide with a flourish. He laughed, a little maniacally Alexis thought.

"Whoa…" that was Jaden. Alexis shook her head.

"Don't be too impressed yet, because I'm not done," Chazz continued. "Next I'll combine them, to form XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

As they formed Chazz's newest creation, Bastion remarked, sounding somewhere between awe and regret, "Now Chazz has two monsters out with over two thousand attack points each! And Jaden with barely any defense…" Apparently Sparkman counted for very little in the Ra's opinion.

Alexis glared at the field, as though that would will Jaden into spontaneously pulling a rabbit from the hat, and then realized she was biting down so hard, jaw tight, that it was giving her a headache. "Ugh…"

"But wait, Jaden – there's still more!"

"Ah?!"

"Actually, _less_," Chazz corrected, grinning still. It wasn't a very pleasant grin, though – the way Jaden grinned, all full of genuine happiness and enjoyment for what he was doing. Chazz's grin seemed twisted by comparison. "Sure they say two heads is better than one, but I disagree—" Chazz's monsters, his newly formed XYZ- Dragon Cannon and VW-Tiger Catapult, sprung into the air, twisting and connecting to shape another new monster. From the corner of her eye, Alexis caught a glimpse of Cori, faintly shaking her head. "Especially when the one in question is the ultimate, VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon!"

A giant robot formed before their eyes, donned in Y's wings, X's missile turrets, V's claws, and Z for its arms and X for its legs.

"Too ambitious by far, Princeton…" Alexis heard Cori mutter, and she spared the girl a glance. "Shouldn't have done that…"

Alexis was tempted to say that, from where she sat and Chazz stood, it was plain to see he had the upper hand, what with 3000 attack points and nothing in Jaden's deck that could beat that – that she knew of herself anyway – just to be contrary, but then thought better of it and kept her peace instead.

Though Alexis couldn't see his face, she thought Jaden must have been gaping at Chazz's monster from the way he stood nearly frozen in place, looking up at the gigantic thing. Bastion beside her and Syrus two seats over certainly were.

"Makes your Spark_man_ look like a heap of spark _plugs_, doesn't it?" Chazz quipped. "Or at least, it _did!_" He'd barely finished speaking or Sparkman evaporated from the field without warning, leaving Jaden and the audience, Alexis included, stunned into silence. Not that they weren't speechless before, but…

Bastion, however, nodded slightly like he'd seen it coming.

"Oh, I'm sorry – didn't I mention Dragon Catapult Cannon's special ability?" Chazz said sarcastically. "I get to remove one card on your side of the field once per turn," he chuckled. "And if you think that's great, wait until you see him attacking. Actually – why wait? Go—"

"Don't think so, Chazz!" Jaden countered, his facedown jumping up. "A Hero Emerges!"

Chazz scowled, "_What?_"

"Pick a card from my hand, Chazz – and if it's a monster, I get to play it," he must have been grinning again by the sound of his voice. Maybe all he had in his hand were monsters.

"Far right," Chazz all but growled, the grin wiped from his face.

"Sweetness!" Jaden exclaimed, and Alexis's spirits lifted a little – at least he'd have one more turn now. And sometimes with Jaden, that's all he needed. "Elemental Hero Burstinatrix! I'll play her in Defense Mode—"

"_Wrong!_" Chazz's grin was back. "When Dragon Catapult Cannon attacks, _I_ get to pick your monster's Mode – and you know what I'm in the mood for? _Attack_ Mode!"

Burstinatrix, all red with flowing grey…that wasn't hair even though it came from her head, stood regal and ready despite Dragon Catapult Cannon's blast coming straight at her, and even though she raised her arms at the last second, she wasn't spared – neither were Jaden's LP's.

"_Argh!_"

"Jaden!" that was Syrus. A quick glance at Cori, and Alexis saw she looked a little worried despite her earlier remark, frowning as she was.

And rightly so – Jaden was down to his last thousand points.

Chazz laughed, "What's the matter, Jaden?" Jaden breathed a little heavily, resting one hand on his knee. "Having some test anxiety? Don't worry, it'll be over soon." He grinned wickedly.

"No _way_, Chazz!" Jaden retorted, fists clenched, standing straight. But whether he meant 'no' to having test anxiety, or 'no' to it being over soon was really anyone's guess. "I got a whole deck of vicious monsters just _waiting_ to get at you! This isn't over," so that one, then. "Not quite yet – _my _draw!" he drew with a flourish, "Ha!" and then paused unexpectedly, drew in his arm to see what he'd drawn a little slower than usual. Alexis sat a little straighter in her seat.

"I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!" his furry little friend with its bright white wings materialized on the field. It would buy Jaden one more turn, at least, because destroying the tiny creature whether in Defense or Attack Mode wouldn't result in any damage to Jaden's Life Points. It was a pretty good card to have in a bind. "And I'll throw down a facedown, too. That's it." He said it so simply, so confidently, that Alexis couldn't help but _doubt_ him. He was in over his head here, and all he was bargaining for was one more turn, with a winged furry creature and a measly facedown – either of which Chazz could destroy with the snap of his fingers. He needed a better defense than this. He needed some _offense_, that's what he needed.

"That's _it_? That's all?" Syrus was saying from beside Cornelia. "But all he's been playing is defense!"

"A good offense, Sy," Cori said, perfectly calm, the worried frown wiped from her face. Indeed, she'd sat up in her chair, having been slouched in her seat before, and unfolded her arms, too, eyes intent on the battle. Alexis was frowning now. Cori left the saying hanging in the air, though, saying instead, "Don't count him out yet," and then she added, barely a whisper, "This is _it_…"

_Know something we don't?_ Not until Cori looked up at her did Alexis realize she'd voiced her thoughts. A blush crossed the girl's cheeks and she looked away again quickly, waving a hand, "Ah – y'know, Jaden just…never loses," she finished in a mutter, leaning back into her seat.

Well, she wasn't wrong. Miss Fontaine's dueling class had them facing off against each other at random, aiming to either complete a specific set of moves with a pre-determined deck and hand, or to achieve some other specific goal with using only a certain Type or Attribute or kind or Level of card, and even though Jaden lucked out on getting any of the requirements right half the time, he never lost a single match.

Chazz had taken some time to mock and banter, but he was all business when Alexis turned back to the field, "There's about to be a fried fur ball on the field, ya loser!"

"You don't scare me!"

"I don't have to," Chazz retorted. "That's _his_ job – Dragon Catapult Cannon, _attack_!"

_Ah, Jaden, I sure hope you know what you're doing…_

"I sacrifice two cards and activate—" Jaden's voice rang through the sound of Dragon Catapult Cannon's charging cannon, as he slid two cards from his hand for sacrifice, allowing his facedown to flip up. With his back turned to their side of the arena – figures Slifers would have the worst seats – Alexis couldn't see what it was – but then, she didn't need to, "_Transcended Wings!_"

There was no light, no spark, no flashy appearance about the Kuriboh, but everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the tiny creature as its small white wings spread out, lengthier and more angelic than before, to fold protectively in front of itself while Chazz's Dragon Catapult Cannon released its attack, the blue beam crashing against white wings. Instead of blasting his Kuriboh to bits though, the blue laser was deflected off its wings, arching around Kuriboh and Jaden, fading into the air behind them.

Jaden grinned – he couldn't help it; that was one _sweet_ card. Who ever said being late to class was a bad thing obviously hadn't helped out any old ladies on the way.

"Argh – it can't be!" Jaden heard Chazz exclaim somewhere beyond the blue light of his monster's attack.

"Oh, but it _be_, Chazz," Jaden said, trying and failing to keep the smugness from his tone. _What? He totally deserves it…_ he mentally argued. "Transcended Wings has evolved Winged Kuriboh into a Level-ten monster!" the furry creature donned a shiny, dragon-shaped golden headdress in addition to his new set of wings, though he still looked just as cute as before despite the more mature look in its eyes. So Jaden had an adorable little monster that made all the girls in the arena squeal like…well, girls – unless he was hearing things again, which wouldn't even be a first – but, who cared, right? Cute or not, it was kicking Chazz's butt. "And here's the best part," he continued. "By sacrificing himself, Kuriboh destroys all monsters in Attack Mode, deflecting their attack points back as damage to _you!_"

"No!"

Kuriboh was a glowing white orb within the dimming light of blue, and with an echoing cry Jaden wasn't sure everyone else had heard, the ball of light exploded outward. Casting everything in white for a split second, Dragon Catapult Cannon was struck fiercely, obliterated into tiny fading pieces.

On the other side of the field, Chazz lowered his arms slowly, his expression all surprise and horror for a moment, before he replaced it with a vicious scowl, "Lucky _punk_!" he spat.

Jaden smiled, unperturbed, "Lucky?" he repeated. "No, Chazz, I just have a soft spot for old ladies," she kind of reminded him of Miss Maxine now he came to think of it. "But not for _you_, Chazz," he added. "And that's too bad, cause with a thousand points apiece and my turn coming up, all I need's the right monster and you'll be done," two fingers on the topmost card of his deck, his thumb slipped in beneath, "Here goes _something_!" Jaden drew his next card with a wave of his arm, and glimpsed it from the corner of his eye – but he'd already had a feeling for what it might be. He wasn't disappointed. "Yeah!" he slapped it onto his duel disk, conjuring a bright light onto the field. "Elemental Hero Avian!"

Chazz wasn't scowling so much as looking horror-struck again.

"_Attack!_" barely all there yet, Avian sprung forward across the field even as it appeared, striking the Obelisk before he knew what came coming.

Losing his balance, numb with shock, Chazz sunk down to his knees, bent over, hands clenched into tight fists on the floor. He heard the unfamiliar sound of depleted Life Points, all the way down to zero, beep from his duel disk. Once. Twice, before he shut the thing off, and slammed one fist back against the floor.

"That's game!" Jaden was saying, and Chazz looked up just enough to watch the Slifer salute him with two fingers the way he always did when he won a duel. No matter what duel it was. "Unless you want to duel again?" he chuckled, and Chazz scowled, muttering under his breath, venomously, "Oh, we _will_."

He was on his feet a second later, ignoring the crowd's applause – Ra's and Slifers cheering with equal elation – and the exasperated headshakes from his fellow Obelisks as their eyes followed him across rows of fields, down from the platform, all the way to the arena's exit.

Across the intercom, voice echoing about the spacious arena, Chazz only just paid the Chancellor any mind, _"Not in the history of our revered Academy has a Slifer ever dueled an Obelisk during the exams. Jaden, not only did you hold your own, but you won! Your courage against overwhelming odds is inspiring. Thus it is with great pride I promote you today, to Ra Yellow! Good job."_

Chazz paused at the exit, looked back over his shoulder. Jaden and his dorky sidekick stood on the edge of the platform, grinning like idiots. But it wasn't them he was interested in right then – she hadn't climbed up to congratulate Jaden like the pipsqueak had, but stayed off the platform, smiling slightly is all. Only, right when his eyes slid from the pair of idiots to her, her smile faded, her expression changed as she looked at him, too. Pity. That was _pity_ on her face. For _him?!_

Tucking a stray strand of blue hair behind one ear she looked away, smiled back at her friends – Jaden dancing Syrus in circles.

_Damn it Slacker, I don't need your pity._

Scowling, he marched from the arena.

* * *

**My apologies for having taken so long to finish this!**

**And thanks a lot to our first reviewer :D I'm glad you think Cori's a well developed character. I've rewritten this story a couple of times, sometimes just because she bugs me, but I like what I'm doing with her now and I'm glad someone else agrees :) (though she's probably so developed because I've been working on her for soooo long X_X sometimes I think this story is never coming to an end XP)**

**Also, thanks to Blue Rose Diablo 666, Latina shewolf, Nyx'sBlackRose and RettaTheNotSoWildCat, and Osanai Yume and Taffdog19943, who all faved or followed! And everyone else who didn't, but still keeps up with the story :)**


	9. Reprimanded

_**AN: My apologies if anyone was actually anxiously awaiting this chapter... X_X ^.^'**_

* * *

Reprimanded

* * *

Skulking through the forest with no particular destination short of "very far away" in mind, Chazz paid his surroundings very little attention. All the better if he got lost, he figured, that way he wouldn't run into anyone he knew. They probably wouldn't bother trying to find him either, not after he was publicly humiliated, losing to _Jaden_ like he had. The _Slifer_ slacker. The worst student in the entire freshman class, who never does his homework, sleeps through his exam, and then wins a duel on pure luck alone, and gets promoted to Ra for it!

And Chazz? An excellent student, top marks in his exam, _loses_ to a slacker – how do you explain _that_?!

He should have won that match. But for all the thinking he'd done so far, he couldn't come up with a decent explanation for why he lost. He'd been playing the perfect match – there should have been no way Jaden could have won! Not against all those rare and special cards…and still he did.

"He had one of his own…" Chazz came to a stop, stared at the dirt his shoes had picked up from all this walking, and clenched a fist. "Transcendent Wings…"

Whether it was a new card from the shack Jaden had somehow managed to get his hands on, or whether it had already been in his deck since he'd come to the Academy, there was no way to tell for sure. Chazz hadn't seen half of Jaden's deck yet. Even when Miss Fontaine let them use their own decks Jaden rarely drew an unknown card before he won his duel. He just as rarely met the pre-set conditions for actually winning the challenge of the match, never drawing enough Spells or Traps, or sometimes any monsters if they were needed to gain points, so technically Jaden always lost even though he won the duel.

Practice Duelling was meant as preparation for the exams, but Jaden could never manage to win. But when push came to shove, Chazz had to admit Jaden's deck didn't let him down.

_Luck. Just pure luck._

"That's all it had to be," Chazz said aloud, trying to convince himself. "Crowler at the Entrance Exams, nearly beating me the first time – now _this!_ Just _luck_, Slacker. Not you. Not your deck. Just luck."

He pulled his new deck from his pocket, having stuffed it in there after he'd left the arena. He'd handed one of his lackeys, who'd found him outside, his duel disk and had dismissed them, saying he had some important business to take care of and acting like Jaden's win – and promotion – didn't faze him. But as he'd left, Chazz could've sworn he'd heard Topher say in that accent of his, "Let him lick his wounds…"

Scowling, Chazz took to walking again as he idly sifted through his deck.

He'd spent nearly his entire break before the second part of the exams working to create this deck from all the cards Dr Crowler had given him.

Crowler had gone and bought every new card in the shack, and brought it to Chazz, confident his best Obelisk student could mop the floor with that Slifer scum. But apparently Crowler had underestimated Jaden, as, Chazz loathed admitting it, he had as well.

Or maybe they'd overestimated the power of this deck. Despite their strengths and coveted effects, the more Chazz shuffled through the cards, the less he liked them, the more he thought his own cards were better. Maybe if he hadn't used this deck he would have beaten Jaden just as Crowler had wanted him to. _His best student…Then why all the new cards, Dr Crowler? You didn't think the deck I already have was good enough?_

Scowling a little deeper, Chazz plucked X-Head Canon from the deck and chucked it over his shoulder, followed by Magical Mallet, Z-Metal Tank, Call of the Haunted and a dozen others before he paused, V-Tiger Jet between his thumb and forefinger.

_"__That's V-Tiger Jet. And it's brand new…"_

Swain. She was onto him the moment she saw that card, but she couldn't have had any idea Chazz's opponent would be Jaden. She must have been surprised. He hadn't seen her sitting in the crowd, he hadn't bothered to look. Why would he?

He rolled his eyes, flicked the card over his shoulder as he'd done the others, just as he recalled something else she'd been on about, _"Do you have a bond with your cards, Chazz? Do they trust you?"_

He'd been caught so off guard by her question, to tell the truth, that he'd answered the first thing that had come to mind once he'd recovered. _"No."_

His answer was beside the point, though, what was important was her question.

Had she been pulling his leg when she'd asked that night they met by the bridge? "Met" not really being the correct term, since they hadn't gone to actually _meet each other_, it was an accidental thing…like the other twenty times she "accidently" kept bumping into him – in the cafeteria line, on the way to class, on the way up the stairs, out the door…at least not all on the same day. He rolled his eyes again. What was he thinking about?

He turned around, looking back at the trail of discarded cards.

"A bond, huh?"

_"__I have a bond with my deck. It's like we were made for each other. My brother says it's important to bond with your cards. Let them know what you're thinking. You should put a little effort into bonding with yours."_

_"__That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."_

Was she really just pretending not to know him? Could she really have forgotten she'd asked him that question before?

* * *

Jaden shifted beneath the covers, twisting from one side onto the next, becoming more tangled than he was to begin with. He turned again, rubbing his foot against the sheet, trying to get off an itch that had no intention of going away. He tried scratching it with his toes, but there wasn't enough legroom within his cocoon to manage it. Giving up on that, sighing heavily into his pillow, Jaden shifted a little more, trying to untwist himself enough that he could bend down and reach his foot with his fingers, but this proved a difficult feat, whilst the itch continued to be itchy. So itchy in fact it felt like it was growing, spreading…_moving._

"Ah!" Jaden had finally reached the itch, only, it felt _alive._

Caught unawares, and thoroughly off balance in his tangled sheets already, Jaden recoiled, his fingers having caught hold of something slick and slippery that was most definitely not his foot, and in his haste to retreat fell from his bunk sheets and all, landing on the floor in a heap.

"What?! What?!" Syrus yelped from the bed above his, sitting up and looking around, eyes squinting, trying to make out something.

Jaden emerged from his sheets, sitting upright with a flourish, his itching foot released from the covers as well, only to see one giant orange-brown roach feeling his toes with its lengthy antennae.

"Ah!" Jaden shook his foot, and whether it was the shake or just the insect's impatience with its new spot being so inhospitable, or perhaps the patch of sunlight shining on it through the window, the insect took its leave – scurrying from Jaden's foot to a dark corner under the bed.

Jaden stared, cringing, "Well. That was disturbing…"

"Err, Jaden—" Syrus was mumbling from above.

"Maybe I should have moved to Ra after all – they probably don't have roaches…"

"What?! Jaden, you wouldn't!"

Only then did Jaden notice his friend peering over the side of his bed, a distressed expression on his face. Jaden gave a laugh, rubbed the back of his head, "I wouldn't, Sy. Besides, it's probably too late to change my mind anyway," he added in an undertone, earning him an annoyed groan from Syrus.

"I heard that."

"Heh," Jaden got to his feet, gathering his sheets as he went. "Anyway, Syrus, sorry I woke you," he yawned halfway through his sentence, and then added, "Go back to sleep…" giving up on straightening his covers, Jaden just flopped down onto his bed, still holding onto half of it, and shut his eyes.

"It's okay, Jay," Syrus was saying, and Jaden could hear him shifting back into a more comfortable position as well. "At least you didn't wake Chumley, too…"

"Yeah…" Jaden half opened his eyes, watched little clouds of dust play in the sunlight. "That would have been terrible…" Chumley was very particular about how late he slept in on Saturdays, and to what he wanted to wake up – screaming roommates wasn't on the list – and how dark the room needed to be until he did… Jaden came erect on his elbows, having just realized something. "Wait a second…"

He got out of bed again, stared at the light beyond their single, tiny window, "Curtain's drawn back…"

"Jaden…are you talking in your sleep already?"

Jaden ignored his friend, hopped onto the bed's ladder and climbed a few steps for a peek at Chumley's bed.

"What are you doing…?" Syrus mumbled, catching sight of him.

"Empty!" Jaden exclaimed. Chumley's bed was unmade and empty.

"What?"

"Chumley," Jaden said, looking over at Syrus, who'd sat up again. "He's not here."

"He's not? But he never gets up this early," Syrus said. "…It is still early, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Jaden jumped off the ladder, rubbed his cheek, "I wonder where he went…"

"Oh, I know that tone…" Syrus was muttering, but Jaden barely paid him any mind.

"Maybe Professor Banner will know," Jaden turned to the door, "Let's go ask!"

"Do we _have_ to…?" Syrus whined, and Jaden paused, his hand on the knob.

"Well, you don't _have_ to come, Sy," he said, smiling sweetly, and opened the door. "I could just ask him myself," he grinned, and was gone.

Syrus groaned, and fell back against his pillows, half determined to go back to sleep. But what if something exciting happened – like Chumley had gotten stuck in a tree and needed a fire truck to get down? Did they even have fire trucks on the island…? Doubtful. But what if there was a fire? Ugh – what if there was a _fire?_ Not that Syrus had any desire to be caught in a fire, but if there was one, he was going to hear all about it from Jaden afterward, and then he'd be disappointed that he'd missed it.

He got up at once, thus, and, clumsily making his way down the ladder, grabbed his glasses off the table as he passed and plucked them on his nose before rushing out the door, calling, "Wait up!" hoping Jaden wasn't yet too far gone.

"Syrus!" came his friend's voice from behind, and Syrus stopped a step and a half short of the stairs to turn around. Jaden beckoned to him from where he stood at the end of the deck, in front of Cori's room.

"What are you doing?" Syrus asked, adjusting his glasses, as he approached.

"Maybe Cori would like to find Chumley, too," Jaden replied with a shrug, and raised his hand to knock.

"Jaden," Syrus said though, and his friend paused. "It's really early – the sun's not even properly up yet," he clutched at his wrinkled shirt, "And we're not even dressed! Cori's probably asleep—"

"She keeps really odd hours, Sy," Jaden cut in. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Well…" Syrus rolled his eyes – he had noticed, actually. Sometimes Cori's light was still on when he had to get up to go to the bathroom – sometimes it was very late, other times very early. But since Cornelia had gone to bed about as late as they had – which was pretty late, what with midnight snacking and quietly celebrating Jaden's promotion (which was still a promotion even though he'd turned it down) – it was more likely for her to still be asleep never mind what her hours were usually like.

Syrus said about as much, but Jaden waved a hand, undiscouraged, "We'll just take a peek – if she's asleep we'll leave. Fair enough?"

Syrus moaned, but knew it was pointless to try and persuade Jaden otherwise. His brown-haired friend knew as much, too, and took his moan as an acquisition. Thus Jaden rapped his knuckles lightly against Cornelia's door. There was no answer. He knocked again.

"See, Jay?" Syrus put in. "Sleeping."

"No, hold on," Jaden said, pressing his ear against the door. "Sounds like…" he paused, "She's…talking."

"You're imagining it, Jay," Syrus said. "If she was awake she'd let us in."

"Then maybe she's not awake," and Jaden turned the doorknob, cracked open the door an inch and peered inside.

"Jaden!" Syrus squeaked, but Jaden waved a hand at him.

"I _did_ say 'a peek', Sy," his friend defended, and Syrus sighed, rolling his eyes. Of course. If nothing else, Jaden was honest. Something else occurred to Syrus then, though, and he voiced the thought, "Isn't that supposed to be locked?"

Jaden paused in the act of opening the door a little wider so he could stick his head in, and looked down at the knob he was still holding onto. "Huh. I guess she forgot."

Syrus might have said something else then if he wasn't interrupted by the faint groan coming from inside the room. He stiffened, "Is she…snoring?"

Jaden opened the door wider, so Syrus, who was peering around his friend, could also see inside the room. But Cornelia was on the top bunk and invisible from their view.

"No…" Jaden replied, after another moment, and another sound. "She's…saying something," and the next moment he'd tiptoed into the room, leaving Syrus in the doorway.

"Jaden! This is a _girl's_ room," Syrus whispered aloud.

"But we're her friends," Jaden whispered back, already to the bed and half on his toes, straining his neck to hear. "Besides – I think…she's talking about me."

"Whaaa…?" Syrus turned his head, like it would improve his hearing, and, leaning forward into the room, curiosity winning over at last, finally heard something concrete as well. But it wasn't about Jaden.

"Ssssy…Syrus…Look out…"

"That's not you, Jay."

"No kidding," Jaden replied, half a grin playing on his lips. "She's dreaming about you, Sy."

"Jaden," Syrus said again, shifting from foot to foot, his forefingers bouncing together in a nervous habit. "Let's just go—"

"You're not at all curious, Sy?"

"No," he lied, cheeks flaming up. Jaden chuckled, but stopped abruptly, and at first Syrus thought it was because of the look he'd given Jaden – the most annoyed one he could conjure – but then he heard Cori, and realized Jaden had as well.

She was muttering, and though it was difficult to hear the words exactly, apart perhaps from his name, and maybe Jaden's, the tone of her voice was distinct enough – she sounded almost…terrified.

"I don't think that's a happy dream."

Jaden frowned, exchanged a look with Syrus, who was looking almost like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world but here.

Cori turned, Jaden could tell by the sound of her shifting blankets, and made such a sound he thought she must be crying. Her blankets shifted again. Another short cry, a mutter he could have sworn was his name.

Jaden clenched a fist, and didn't realize he had until he'd released it. But in that moment he'd made up his mind.

"I'm waking her up, Sy," he said, sparing his friend half a glance before he reached for the ladder.

"Fine," Syrus replied, and finally came into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Reaching the top of the ladder, Jaden paused, not certain whether or not he should crawl onto the bed and shake her awake, or whether maybe calling her name from there might do the trick. He didn't know whether Cori was a light sleeper or not – he couldn't remember her ever having mentioned it, and neither was there a time he'd needed to wake her up before. She was usually the one waking him up.

She probably got up before all the boys in the dorm, to use the bathroom in peace, which was why she was always already awake and dressed, looking fresh and ready for the day when Jaden and Syrus found her in the cafeteria, when she wasn't helping Syrus wake him up from a particularly deep sleep that is.

Today being the obvious exception to all of that, though.

"Cori!" Jaden said, loudly, deciding to test the waters first. "Cori, come on, wake up!" he reached out, finding her foot beneath the covers and gave it a little shake. Abruptly, she gave one violent kick, nearly hitting him in the head.

"Ah!" Jaden ducked, hands covering his head, and just in time remembered to grab back onto the ladder before he lost his balance and fell backward.

Cornelia rolled onto her other side, pulling the covers with her and clutching them tight under her chin. "Don't…" she mumbled.

"Jaden…"

"You don't happen to have a whistle on you, Syrus?" Jaden asked over his shoulder.

"What would I do with a whistle, Jay…" Syrus muttered.

"I guess there's nothing else for it, then," Jaden said quietly, then added over his shoulder again, "You don't think Cori would hit me if I climb onto her bed, do you?"

"Err…I don't know, Jaden," Syrus replied, his forefingers bouncing together. "But, it's for a good cause! Cori must be having a really bad nightmare."

"Good point," Jaden replied with a determined nod. "Here we go, Sy! Catch me if she throws me off, okay?"

"Err…"

Jaden clambered onto Cori's bed, careful not to step on her foot, and shifted to her other side, so he was between her and the wall. He crawled across the mattress until he could reach her shoulder. She was lying with her back to him, the sheets hitched up to cover all but her head and her lengthy, crookedly braided blue hair that came down to her waist and sat between her back and Jaden's knee.

"Cori…?" he said, suddenly feeling a little hesitant, and put his hand on her shoulder. "_Cori._ Cori, wake _up._"

He shook her shoulder. Gently at first, and then a little more forcefully when it didn't work. But she only kept on muttering into her pillow, her lengthy blue fringe hiding her face from his view.

"Cori!" he grabbed hold of her shoulder with both hands, shaking vigorously. "This-is-not-working-Sy-rus!" he mumbled through grit teeth. "Why-does-she-have-to-be-so-fast-a-sleep?!

"Cori, come _on!_ You're having a nightmare – wake _up_," shaking her still with one hand, Jaden pulled back her fringe with his other, but had barely gotten a decent look at her face when her eyes shot open. Startled, so much as by that, as by the way she swiftly and unexpectedly came right erect, Jaden recoiled, falling back and hitting his head against the wall behind him.

Cori sat up straight for a second, breathing heavily, eyes wide and fearful-looking – and Jaden could hear Syrus's surprised gasp from below – before she fell down onto her pillow as though whatever force had been holding her up had suddenly let go, draining all the life from her.

Jaden sat, half frozen it felt like, just looking at his friend.

"Is she okay?" Syrus asked from below, sounding concerned, but Jaden couldn't answer.

Gradually, Cori's breathing seemed to slow down, back to normal. She lifted one hand, rubbed it across her face, and only then pushed herself up on one elbow, giving him a raised-eyebrow look. "Jaden," she said simply, and Jaden cringed, not certain of what to expect. "What are you doing in my room?" her blue-green eyes gave him a once-over from top to bottom, before she added, "On my bed?"

Jaden gave a nervous little laugh, and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, see – Syrus and I—"

"It was his idea!" Syrus squeaked from the ladder, having climbed up far enough so only his head of big, turquoise hair was visible.

"Sy!" Jaden exclaimed, giving his friend an annoyed look. "Thanks a lot."

"I, for one, believe Syrus is probably telling the truth," Cori teased, sticking out her tongue when Jaden looked back at her. It made him grin, but only for a second, before he explained, serious now, "Well, you were having a nightmare. It sounded pretty bad, so I decided to wake you up. You sleep _really_ deep."

"Oh…" she said, quietly, and her eyes slipped from Jaden's, glanced across the sheets like she wasn't really seeing them. "…A nightmare…"

"You did wake up pretty startled," Jaden added.

"Startled me, too…" Syrus mumbled from his perch on the ladder, and Cori spared him a glance, before she looked back at Jaden.

"Yeah, I got that. I was there…" she fell into another short-lived silence, and spoke just as Jaden opened his mouth to ask her what she'd dreamt – though it might have been impolite to ask – what did he know about dream etiquette, after all – his curiosity was winning the silent struggle against probable manners. As though she'd read his mind, however, she answered his question, "I don't remember what I dreamt. I can't even tell what it was about, or who was there – even vaguely!"

This seemed annoying to her, and she waved a hand through the air, before scratching her head.

"I was in it," Jaden said helpfully, with a grin, and added also, "And Syrus," he threw a thumb over his shoulder at his bespectacled friend. "Does that help?"

"To do what, confuse me more?" Cori stared at him. "How do you figure you guys were in it?"

Jaden laughed again, rubbing his cheek with his forefinger, "You talk in your sleep."

"Oh," her cheeks went pink, making Jaden smile a little. She looked away, muttering, "Right, I forgot…" and Jaden thought maybe she hadn't meant for him to hear.

In any case, she waved her hand through the air again, dismissing it, "It doesn't help. I still don't know what it was about. I've already forgotten it…"

"Well…" Jaden thought a second. "You were also muttering about us looking out for something. But what, exactly, you didn't say," he shrugged. "Anyway, it's not like dreams come true, right?"

He laughed a little again; trying to make her feel better, but Cori's expression had gone a little blank, her cheeks suddenly paler than normal. "Err…Cori?"

She snapped from her reverie, and gave him a little smile, "You're right. It doesn't matter. I'm just glad to be awake."

"Lucky I was here then," Jaden said smugly, grinning.

"Hah, yeah right," Cori said, plainly teasing, though, by the sound of her tone. "I don't think it was you that woke me as much as the dream just coming to an end."

"Whaaaat…?" Jaden whined, feigning disappointment. "No fair."

That made her laugh, but then she said seriously, "Besides, Jay, you couldn't have been in here just because you heard me talk in my sleep. I don't talk _that_ loud. …Do I?" she added.

"No," Jaden chuckled. "Actually, Sy and I—"

"Meaning Jaden…"

"—thought you might want to help us look for Chumley."

"Chumley? You check the top bunk bed in your room yet?"

"Of course, that's how we knew he was gone," Jaden replied.

"But – the sun's barely up yet! _You're_ still in your PJ's! What's Chumley doing up?"

"If we knew that…" Jaden said, shrugging again, and Cori rolled her eyes. "So, you want to help us find him?"

"Sure," she said. "Just let me get dressed first, okay?"

"Oh. Sure, sure," Jaden muttered quickly, ignoring the sudden heat that crept up his neck – Cori was only dressed in her PJ's too, and there Jaden was sitting on her bed. He scooted back on all fours, making his way to the ladder, which Syrus had already vacated. "We should probably change, too…"

"Now that _she_ says it," Syrus mumbled beside him, and Jaden could only smile.

Leaving Cori to herself, Jaden and Syrus wandered back to their room in silence. Or maybe Syrus might have said something, but Jaden was too preoccupied with Cori and her dream. Such a terrible-looking nightmare and she couldn't even remember it. Jaden wasn't sure whether or not he'd want to remember a nightmare of his after waking up. And on the topic, he couldn't recall the last time he'd had a nightmare. Maybe a couple years back, the first time after he went to stay at the—

"Jaden!" Syrus exclaimed, grabbing hold of his arm and sounding clearly surprised. Snapped from his thoughts, Jaden looked round at Syrus, perplexed.

"What?"

"Look!" Syrus pointed, and Jaden saw they'd already reached their room though he'd barely noticed walking through the door. He saw what Syrus was gesturing at right away, though.

"Chumley!"

A small hill of covers lay on the topmost bed, taking on the unmistakable form of their odd friend. Despite sharing in late night discussions about some random thing or another, and listening to how they did homework with Cori even as he thought they didn't notice, Chumley still refused to actually _do anything_ with the three of them. He stayed in his room all day, berating them for disturbing his peace, and was gone some days after class, and never told them where he'd gone even though Jaden asked a million and one times. Ordinarily Jaden wouldn't be sticking his nose in other people's business, but…Chumley was kind of a friend. And kind of not. But Jaden kind of wanted him to be. And the first step to making friends, he often thought, was getting them to trust you. And trust came with sharing secrets. Thus, by Jaden's logic, discovering and keeping whatever secret Chumley had, would build trust – and make them friends.

Not to mention the Slifer was just _so_ curious to know what in the world could be so important to Chumley, who spent his days lounging away under a blanket, that he'd have to get out of bed for it. Grilled cheese eating contest?

"Hey, Chumley!" Jaden said, a little louder so the other boy would hear, and made his way toward the ladder even as Syrus started up with a feeble protest. "You awake? You got to be – you were up not ten minutes ago."

"Go back to sleep, Jaden," Chumley said, sounding half sad and half irritable, "And shut the curtain while you're at it!"

"Oh, come on, Chumley," Jaden said, having gotten to the top of the ladder. Chumley had his whole sheet pulled up over his head even. It wasn't that cold, so this was something else entirely. "It's going to be a nice day – why don't you come down and have breakfast with us? We're all up already; we might as well stay up."

"That's a first…" Syrus said from below, and Jaden politely ignored his friend. Instead, he carefully poked a little at Chumley's foot, quickly ducking his head in case Chumley kicked back. But he didn't, only snapped a little louder, "Go away, Jaden!"

"Chumley…" Jaden clenched a fist. "Not until you tell me what for! Why're you so down today, Chum?"

"Don't call me 'Chum'!" Chumley snapped again, coming erect so fast, and looking decidedly angry, that Jaden, startled, lost his balance on the ladder and fell to the floor, landing half on the ground, and half on top of Syrus.

"Where're my glasses…?" the blue-haired boy mumbled, and Jaden rubbed the back of his head, coming erect. "Sorry Sy…"

"Are you still alive?" Chumley asked, humorously, peering down at them over the side of his bed.

Jaden ignored him though, and hopped to his feet, still determined to wring the truth out of Chumley. "Chumley—" he started, raising one finger to point at the chubby boy, but was abruptly cut off by a knock at the door. "…Err…"

"Well, answer it," Chumley half snapped, and lay back down.

Jaden mumbled something incoherent under his breath, gave Syrus half a glance to see the kid settling his glasses back onto his nose, before Jaden called for whomever it was to come inside.

Cornelia opened the door, peering in head first before she came in, hands on her hips. "I thought you were getting dressed!" she said.

She certainly was, boots and all. But her long blue locks hung completely loose, not even caught in a ponytail with a red ribbon. She'd never worn it this way before, and Jaden had to take a second to just stare at her. Sometimes it caught him off guard how much she could look like a girl when she wanted, and how little she seemed to at other times. But with her hair all loose and spilling over her shoulders, framing her face, she was either a girl or a criminally pretty boy. But since Jaden knew it was the former, it was obviously the former.

He'd only stared for a couple of seconds, so thankfully she didn't take his look for what it was, having gone right on talking after reprimanding them about their attire, waving one hand through the air, the other catching a blue lock and twirling it around her finger, "Never mind, I'll come back – gives me more time to do something with my hair…"

"No!" Jaden said, before he'd even thought of doing it, and Cori paused, half turned around already, to look back at him, plainly confused.

"I mean," Jaden thought quickly, casting a glance in the bunk-bed's direction as though the answer lay hidden there. Coincidently, it did. "I mean, don't bother…"

"Why not? Did we give up on the Chumley-hunt?"

"Well—"

"The what?" Chumley cut in, coming erect again to look at them. "Hunt? Don't be stupid – I've been here the whole time."

"I see you've been dreaming up things, too, Jay…" Cori mumbled, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

Jaden blushed, "I did not dream it up!" he countered, and then gestured to Syrus, who'd by now gotten to his feet, and taken a seat on Jaden's bed. "Ask Sy – he saw, too! Chumley wasn't here when we left. That's why we left!"

"Hmp," Chumley disappeared from view again, and they could hear him snuggling into his sheets.

"It's true," was Syrus's feebly mumbled contribution, making Jaden cross his arms, frown.

"Yeah, I believe you," Cori said, with a laugh, holding up her hands as though in defence. Jaden watched her approach the bed's ladder, and take the steps up one at a time, talking all the while, "So, Chumley, where were you so early in the morning?"

Jaden raised an eyebrow, curious to see whether Chumley might answer, and Syrus got off the bed to watch as well.

"None of your business…" was Chumley's reply, though it sounded much more polite said to Cori than it would have been spoken to Jaden.

"Oh, don't be like that," Cornelia said, in what Jaden thought must have been the sweetest sounding voice she could muster. If she ever spoke like that to him, he was convinced he'd tell her absolutely anything. "Aren't we all friends, Chum?"

The older Slifer groaned, and pulled his sheets higher up to his chin.

Cornelia shrugged, and made her way back down the ladder, saying dismissively, "Fair enough – I guess we aren't," to Jaden's surprise. He'd been sure she was going to coax Chumley right out of his shell with that voice of hers. But all the sweetness had dripped from it. When she hopped down from the last step, she paused to roll up the sleeves of her jacket, saying as she did so, "So, what are we doing today guys? You know," she added snidely then, "_Without_ Chumley."

"Err…" Jaden shared a glance with Syrus, not certain how to respond to that. "I guess we could…do breakfast?"

"Sounds good," she smiled. "I'm in the mood for some grilled cheese. Lots and lots of it."

"Well, don't eat all of it!" Chumley said at once, his head popping back into view once more.

"Why should I leave you any?" Cornelia asked none too friendly, her hands coming to rest on her hips again, fringe and lengthy locks swaying as she moved. "We're not friends."

"You know…" Chumley started up hotly, but paused like he was rather about to let it go, only to say what he wanted to anyway, "You're really mean!"

Cori wasn't even taken aback, "And you know you're really secretive!" she retorted at once, crossing her arms, but keeping a defiant glare in her eyes Jaden hadn't known she possessed. "Just what exactly are you up to every time you disappear from your room that you don't want us to know about, _Chum?_ I have half a mind to tell Professor Banner you're up to no good."

"That'll do you no good! I'm with him all the time, so he already knows what I'm up to."

"Hah!" Cori exclaimed, triumphantly, pointing a finger at Chumley, who went a little paler than the norm, realizing he'd just said too much. "So you're with Banner when you disappear. But, what for? A special class or something?"

"Nothing!" Chumley ducked under a blanket again. "It's none of your business!"

"Oh, come _on_, Chumley," Cornelia whined, sounding thoroughly tired of the subject. "Just tell us, already – what's it matter if we know?"

"Why do you want to?" he snapped back, but made no move to show his face again. "It has nothing to do with you! It's _my_ problem. You shouldn't care, you hardly know me! Besides, you can't do anything about it."

"Well, that's not fair, Chumley," Jaden cut in. "How do you know we can't help when we don't even know what's the matter?"

There was the briefest moment of silence, just long enough to be foreboding, before Chumley spoke, and Jaden had never heard him sound so grave. And, for Chumley, who sounded sceptical, and pessimistic, and generally annoyed with almost everything besides grilled cheese, _that_ was saying a lot. "I'm a _failure_."

"Say what?"

"I stink!" Chumley exclaimed, sitting up and glaring down at the three of them with such a fierce expression, Jaden almost felt chills run down his spine. "I'm no good at duelling, or studying, or anything! _Special classes?!_" he spat, eyes on Cori, who almost seemed to shrink under his gaze. "_Yes_, that's exactly what it is! I'm not good enough to have _normal_ classes, I'm so far behind I'm not even on a First Year level!" his face was flushed with fury, making Jaden swallow nervously – perhaps they'd poked at the bear much too hard. "Are you happy you know now? Will you _finally_ leave me alone?!" and without waiting for a reply, he made to turn away, but Cori wasn't about to let him off so easily.

"No!" she said, fiercely, and Chumley paused to glare at her some more. Jaden took a quick step towards her, feeling a little nervous – after all, he and Sy had to live with Chumley after this, and he didn't want the guy angrier than he already was.

"Err, Cori—"

"This might be something we _can_ actually help with, Jay," she told him before he could manage another word, though he hadn't thought of what exactly to say anyway. "Chumley," she turned back to him. "If I can get half of anything into Jaden's thick skull, I'm sure I can help you study, too."

"Err…" Jaden paused, scratched at his cheek. "She does make a fair point, actually."

"It's true!" Syrus said, joining in. "Cori's a wonderful teacher," he smiled at her, and Jaden had to smile, too.

"We'll help you, Chumley," Jaden said with renewed enthusiasm, and a sudden immunity to Chumley's glare. He _had_ wanted to know what Chumley was 'up to', and now that he did, he couldn't just leave it alone. Taking Cori by the shoulders, Jaden grinned at Chumley, "We'll take your classes with you if we need to – a few more heads are better than one, after all," he grinned. "There's nothing you need to learn Cori can't help you remember – how do you think I passed my written exam?"

"Jaden," Cori muttered, "You didn't…"

"Yeah, but that's just because I slept through it," he mumbled back. "But he doesn't know that."

"I do, actually," Chumley said, making Jaden cringe.

"Okay," he smiled feebly. "But if I hadn't, I might have passed. Anyway, _she_ passed," he grinned again.

"By a hair…" Cori said quietly, and Jaden hissed at her to shut it.

"So, anyway – what do you say, Chumley? Will you let your friends help you?" he asked, but Chumley's expression only turned sulkier.

"We're not friends, remember," he said gloomily. "Go eat the grilled cheese for all I care."

"Ugh, Chumley," Cori said quickly, and as she added, "You know I didn't mean any of that! Really I didn't…" Jaden saw her cheeks go pink. That looked more like the Cori he'd gotten used to.

Chumley pouted a little, watched them from the corner of his eye while he pretended to smooth his bedcovers, before he smiled ever so slightly, "So you won't eat all the grilled cheese?"

"Not without you," Cori said, smiling too.

"Fine," Chumley said, but held up one big finger, sounding as serious about this as he generally was about grilled cheese, "But you don't breathe a word about this to anyone! I don't need the whole school muttering behind my back about things they don't actually know anything about."

"Fair enough," said Cornelia, and Jaden grinned.

"Sweetness! So, breakfast then, for reals?"

* * *

Everything Jaden thought would be fun to do for the remainder of the day – as soon as breakfast was thoroughly enjoyed, of course – was indefinitely postponed when Professor Banner got hold of them in the cafeteria, Jaden just finishing his fourth helping of breakfast.

Of course he had to have four – "I am a growing boy, after all," was his explanation, or that's how it sounded through his mouthful of food, at least. "Anyway – so says Miss Maxine," he'd laugh and help himself to another bite, as oblivious to Syrus and Cornelia's shared expressions as Chumley was where he sat biting down into another grilled cheese. It wasn't a look of _pity_, exactly, Cori wouldn't call it that. Perhaps more a look of apprehension, since neither she nor Syrus had any idea what to say whenever Jaden brought up Miss Maxine, or his home, or just the subject of his being an orphan in general. Miss Maxine was the Matron who took care of him and a house full of others like him, which sounded like such a prejudice way of thinking about it, but since Jaden had lost both his parents and Syrus and Cori still had at least one each, it couldn't be ignored that there was now suddenly something separating them. Or so it felt like to Cori and Syrus, anyway, who'd both pause whenever Jaden mentioned the woman's name, not entirely sure of how to react.

When he'd first mentioned her, he'd never said exactly who she was, and Cori never felt comfortable enough to pry, while Syrus was too easily distracted – by trying to slow Jaden down before he had them all running another marathon, for example – to voice his curiosity, if there was any to begin with.

The knowledge of Miss Maxine's relation to Jaden had therefore been volunteered by the boy himself, just a week before their exams when letters arrived from home.

He'd been sitting between her and Syrus as per usual when Professor Banner dropped their letters onto their desks. Cori had read hers and stuffed it in her pocket, annoyed with the contents, when she heard Jaden laughing at something Syrus had said beside her, before he replied, "Miss Maxine's the Matron at the orphanage where I live, Sy."

"_Orphanage?_" she and Syrus chorused, and Jaden took turns giving them each a look.

"Yeah… Didn't I ever mention that?"

"No!" Syrus had said, and Cori shook her head, too.

Jaden shrugged, and flashed a toothy grin, "Well, now you know."

For a while Cornelia had spent hours awake at night just reflecting on what a goofball Jaden had been again all day, and wondered how he managed to do that when he was basically all alone in the world. Having lost her father before she really got to know him was bad enough, but Cori couldn't imagine losing her mother, too. And having no other siblings? Well, she practically didn't have a brother anymore she saw him so little, but even so…she loved him with all her heart, and it would simply break into pieces if anything ever happened to that idiot.

Maybe Jaden was just used to it.

They'd never brought up the subject again, or ventured a curious question or innocent pry into the life Jaden led at home, even when he gave them ample opportunity. He spoke about his home, and mentioned Miss Maxine the way Syrus volunteered information on his mom and her psychopathic cockatoo all the time – just making casual conversation. Even so, Cori felt her stomach sink every time Jaden mentioned his Matron's name, and by Syrus's expression he always felt uneasy, too, and neither had the guts to encourage Jaden to say something more.

Thankfully, he barely noticed their unease, which would probably have been embarrassing, and also, Jaden didn't mention his Matron any more throughout the day, too busy helping Professor Banner with all kinds of oddities in the forest.

Since they'd been the only ones in the cafeteria when Professor Banner came looking for volunteers, they'd been roped into it without room for protest. Thus they'd spent the better part of the day digging through patches of soil, poking at moss on trees, sniffing flowers that made Syrus sneeze at odd intervals even after they'd left the flowers behind, and plucked herbs for some or another something the professor was brewing for class, when they weren't trying frantically to find each other through the forest's thick foliage and barely lit pathways. At one point, Syrus spontaneously disappeared, only to be found a little later, running for dear life as though he'd just seen a ghost. He was convinced he had, too, but Jaden waved it away as his friend's overactive imagination, and when Professor Banner ushered them all into a new direction with talks of beetles and slimy snails, the story of Syrus's supposed haunted house fell on deaf ears.

Professor Banner eventually led them back to the dorms, served them a hearty meal, and dismissed them until further notice. Of all the things Jaden had thought of doing that morning, only one came back to mind, of course – duelling. And not just anywhere, either – at the Obelisk arena, of course. Cornelia had an inkling Jaden's intention held a subtle hint of guile, in light of his having defeated the topmost ranked Obelisk first year in front of the entire school. Despite having flunked his written exam, there was no contesting Jaden's skill after his match against Chazz – he'd proven beating Dr Crowler hadn't been a fluke. He really was as good as he said, and Cori couldn't help but think Jaden wanted to return to the arena just to rub everyone's noses in it.

Figuring he deserved to, and mentally admitting to a spiteful streak in herself as well, Cornelia picked Jaden's side when Syrus immediately contested the idea. Chumley, with no desire to be anywhere near any Obelisks for a long while yet, resigned himself to a well-deserved – he said – nap, and left Jaden and his friends to their own devices. Syrus ended up trudging along morbidly, muttering about how much trouble they might end up in this time – another midnight duel, getting caught by security, expelled on the spot, a one-way ticket back home and his parents to face – after which he swiftly, and too loudly, changed the subject to the first thing that came to mind, which was kittens, after realizing he'd said the now forbidden p-word in Jaden's presence. Jaden, of course, stayed oblivious.

"It was furry, and blue, and screeched so loud I was deaf for half a day—"

Cori had started laughing at the boy's story, but was abruptly cut off when Jaden exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa! This place is packed – what happened?"

They'd arrived at the arena, and Cornelia saw what Jaden meant – there were Ra's and Obelisks everywhere, and even a couple of Slifers lounging about, waving dismissively at their blue-jacketed peers as though they really were on the same level. Through all the clusters of blue and yellow with scattered bits of red in between though, Cori found no sign of a dark spiky-haired, blue jacket-wearing stuck-up Prep School graduate, or his lackeys.

"Jaden," Cori said stiffly. "You broke the school."

"Broke it?" Jaden chuckled. "I think I fixed it!"

"No, no, you definitely broke it, Jay," Syrus muttered, "And now someone's coming over here to break _us!_" He ducked behind Cori and Jaden just before a couple of broad-shouldered Obelisk first-years came marching up to them, hands clenched into fists.

"You slackers don't belong here!" one of them said, pointing a finger at Jaden, who recoiled. "Take your friends and get out!"

"Yeah, just because you beat Chazz, it doesn't mean you're welcome here," his companion spat, giving Cori such a hateful glance she felt like shrinking a little shorter – shorter than Syrus even.

"I beg to differ," Jaden replied, grinning even though his opponent was a head and a half taller. Cori felt like slapping a palm to her face – or the back of Jaden's head, maybe. "I beat your best duellist, didn't I? I guess that makes me the new champion of the arena."

The pair of Obelisks shared a look, a grin, and Cori got a sinking feeling.

"Sure you are," one of them said, though it wasn't friendly. "You earned your way in just like all the Ra's do."

"But your friends didn't," added his companion. "So either you leave with them, or you stay without them."

"That's not fair," Jaden protested at once. "There's a bunch of other Slifers in there already! You can't chase away my friends just like that!"

"We really don't mind being chased, Jaden…" Syrus put in quietly, peering at the Obelisks from behind Cori and Jaden.

"They'll be gone as soon as Crowler gets here," the Obelisk replied. "Turns out Chazz is the only one who could turn you Slifers away with no more than a look."

"But since you've shamed him into hiding out in his room, we've had to resort to the higher authorities."

"Hiding out in his room?" Jaden mumbled, sounding surprised, and then he said, "You guys sure are touchy about your arena."

"We just don't appreciate you Slifer scum stinking up the place."

Dr Crowler's voice could be heard from the other side of the arena as he suddenly barged in through another set of doors, shouting, "What's this I hear about Slifers?!" cutting off whatever remark Jaden was about to make. The boy paused with his mouth open and one finger raised, cringing at the sound of that screech.

"Jaden—" Cori started, and there was no need to say any more.

"You're right, Cori, one week's detention was enough for one month," he said quickly, spinning about on his heels only to pause again, noticing Syrus was already backing up the corridor. "Hey, Sy!" he called. "Wait up!"

Laughing, leaving two fairly annoyed and mildly puzzled Obelisks behind, Cori followed.

* * *

Chazz had spent half his weekend asleep on the couch in front of his large, flat-screen television – which wasn't the best place for a nap, considering, but it certainly was the most comfortable – and the rest of it wandering through the forest, or all the way down to the bridge and back after curfew, trying to avoid his brothers. They'd have heard about his loss before Friday was over, but luckily for Chazz, they didn't get off work nor had the time to call him until late in the evening. Thus he was safe in his room during the day, from the crowds of Obelisks probably snickering at him behind his back like he was the Obelisk equivalent of Syrus Truesdale; and safe from his reprimanding brothers as long as he was out of his room at night.

That's why napping on the couch was such a dangerous pastime – as Sunday evening proved when he overslept.

He vaguely remembered having dreamt about something, which included himself, Jaden for some reason, and out of the blue, a giant floating baby head, when he heard Jagger say, "Like a baby," after which he awoke with a start, nearly tumbling all the way off the couch, to find his big brother with his neatly trimmed haircut sneering down at him like a maniac from the television screen – and he wasn't alone either. Slade shared the screen with him, broadcasting from some other location, still dressed, as was Jagger, in one of his fancy grey suits. So bland, as was everything about them, in Chazz's opinion. He almost sighed with dismay – it was bad enough in general having to deal with one of them, but both of them ganging up on him like this – because there was no other explanation for what they were doing – was impossible.

"Oh, I think we startled the little tyke," said Slade, sneering, and Chazz barely managed not to look too annoyed, as he gathered himself up off half the floor he'd fallen to, and sat up straight on the couch, arms crossed, before he snapped, "What do you want?" like he didn't know.

"You've been avoiding us," Jagger stated, his tone serious, and unimpressed.

"And not just recently," Slade added.

"Well, I don't need you two around to hold my hand anymore," Chazz replied, but barely managed to raise his voice to them properly. He sat scowling at the coffee table not to mention, and couldn't quite get himself to meet their gazes.

"We disagree!" snapped Jagger, and Chazz heard a loud _thump_ like he'd just banged his hand against a table.

"You really thought we wouldn't find out?" Slade said, almost on top of his brother, and Chazz almost rolled his eyes – they were just _so_ eager to get at him, weren't they? Not to mention how stupid they thought he was.

"Of course not!" and this time he did look over to them, and nearly regretted it instantly – they looked thunderous. But, he'd already opened his mouth, he had to go on, "I know you check up on me – every test, every assignment, every exam! You have been for years – I'm not stupid!" he'd gotten to his feet, fists clenched, without even having realized it. "But it's not as bad as it seems – the slacker just had a lucky draw, that's all!"

"Again," Jagger said. "We _disagree_."

"The only reason you're still the top student," Slade put in, "Is because this—" he looked down for a second, like he was reading a piece of paper; "Yuki kid – this _slacker_, as you put it – doesn't know how to _write_ an exam."

"Apparently you need reminding, little brother," said Jagger, narrowing his eyes at Chazz, "Of our _plan_."

"I already _know_ the pla—"

"_This_ says different!" Slade interrupted, holding up the paper he'd read from a moment ago. Chazz cringed, but couldn't look away. That was his failure all neatly printed out, black on white. "This doesn't look like the little brother we thought we had on our side! The one who was so _confident_ he could become the best duellist the world has ever seen!"

"You _disappoint_ us, Chazz," Jagger spat, putting extra emphasis on that dreaded word. "You disappoint our entire family."

"The next time we check on your score, there had better not be another lost duel," Slade said, crumpling up the paper in his hand. "Then we might be enticed to forget about _this_ little incident."

"You'd better be here when we call again," Jagger added, a menacing glint still lingering in his eye despite the calm tone, "_Little brother_."

The screen winked out, leaving nothing but a black darkness in his brothers' wake. They'd barely disappeared properly before Chazz felt his knees weaken. He fell to the floor, clutched at the lengthy hairs of his plush carpet and felt the need to scream really loud. How'd he gotten into this again? He could hardly remember, but a while ago it hadn't felt all this bad. His brothers' plan to 'rule the world' – for lack of a better term – seemed all kinds of inviting, plus, it required he only do one thing – the only thing he ever loved doing with all his heart: duelling.

Lately, it felt more like a chore.

_"__Duelling is fun, you know. And even when you're by yourself, if you have a bond with your cards, you're never really alone. They're your friends. Don't you think so? Chazz?"_

He scowled at the carpet, sniffed involuntarily, and wiped at the tears he hadn't known was there a second ago.

Chazz looked over at the couch; saw the crumpled remnants of her letter sticking out between the seat cushions where it had gotten stuck during his restless nap.

_Do you know a Chazz Princeton? Or do you know if I know one? Which I know is a weird thing to ask, but since you still seem to know everything about me even though you're never around… He looks _so_ familiar, but I can't remember him._

How could she have forgotten him? When he still remembered her…


End file.
